Why Me
by amiesuzie
Summary: Rachel’s life has never been easy, & her only escape had been to leave La Push. Now that she has returned, will her lot in life improve? Will she be able to deal with the struggles she is bound to face with her tribe’s heritage? Rachel x Paul
1. Going Home

****NOTE TO READERS BEFORE 7/28/10****

I have updated this story to make the chapter longer and I am focusing

on more content within each chapter. I have restructured the chapters so that several chapters

have been combined into one. You may want to go back and reread some of the chapters

- particularly the later ones as they have been added to and lengthened. I am also getting my

story beta'ed so there will be some updates with that as and please review on all chapters!

Your opinions matter to me! Loves to all of you!

Amie

* * *

Well, I decided to write one of my other favorite Twilight pairings. I love Rachel and Paul – the angry wolf and the smart older sister. Hahaha! But I am going to add an interesting twist. Not sure if y'all will like it, but it something I wonder might work well and be rather natural. : ) So, off we go…

Oh, and I don't own Rachel, Paul, the wolves, or anything Twilight – Stephenie does. I would totally love to own them wolves, though. ; ) I also do not own the referenced George Foreman Quesadilla Maker - I own one but not the patent. ; )

* * *

GOING HOME

* * *

Rachel walked across the University of Washington campus to where her car was parked She watched the various other students staying for the last of summer terms as they presumably headed off to their various classes – something Rachel was supposed to be doing, as well. Instead, she was heading home.

Only an hour before, she had gone to her advisor, Dr. Jack Lucas, and requested of him something she never thought she would ever ask.

"Rachel, are you sure this is what you want to do? You know we can work a scenario out so you can finish your summer courses via correspondence. And I would be more than happy to vouch for you and help you out," he explained carefully.

"Thank you, Dr. Lucas. I'm afraid that I'm going to have accept an incomplete on both classes. When I get home, I need to focus on my family entirely. I wish I could make this work – I honestly do – I just don't think it's the right thing to do," Rachel explained.

"If you're sure... I just don't want to see you throw all this hard work away. You've been too good a student, Rachel, to just throw this away. You've been one of my best students, in fact." Rachel was consumed with disappointment at having to give up time on her dream, potentially on a permanent basis – _No, don't think that way. Be positive._ She focused on Dr. Lucas once more and noticed his concerned expression. Her expression immediately changed to one of neutrality.

"That means a lot, but I don't think that'll work out. There is just too much going on at home right now," she explained, her voice rigid and stiff with the pain of having to leave her life in Seattle behind – her hard work, her accomplishments, her friendships, her life.

"Well, please let me know if there is anything I can do for you, or if you simply need to talk. Vicky and I have come to think of you as family, and we want to be here for you," Dr. Lucas made sure she understood his and his wife's willingness to help Rachel if she so desired.

Rachel thought back on her conversation with her advisor, sighing as she walked along the wet sidewalk. She felt bad for not explaining why she had to leave, beyond it being a family emergency. For whatever reason, she felt she could not try to explain what was going on. It was too complicated. In all honesty, Rachel was not even sure what was going on.

She and Rebecca, her twin sister who lived in Hawaii with her surfer husband, had talked on the phone immediately after learning of their baby brother's disappearance and decided that one of them needed to head home to check on their father. Their father had reassured them that it was unnecessary to worry about their brother but figured that they should know what was going on back home since their father was being so vague about it. The sisters knew that as soon as he said there was not anything to worry about, one of them needed to go home and investigate the situation further. Since Rachel lived closer and Rebecca was busy with a husband and an upcoming baby, they agreed it would be better for Rachel to go home.

Rachel really was bummed about the whole situation. She only had two more classes to finish. Then she would be able to finish up her campus classes a year early like she had planned and move on to her final semester of student teaching.

Instead of finishing this plan, she was going to go back to her car, drive to her apartment, get the last of her things, say good bye to her wonderful roommates, and get on the road.

Rachel pulled up in her parking place and jogged to the front door of her apartment. She swiftly stuck her key in the lock and opened the door. "I'm back," she called out. She could not hear anyone so she figured they had left. Well, that just stunk. They hadn't even stuck around to say good bye. This only brought Rachel's dreary mood lower.

She walked through the living room and through the back of the apartment to the kitchen. Just before she entered, though, she was greeted by drunk-like singing of _For He's a Jolly Good Fellow_. The girls finished up and smiled ridiculoulsy at Rachel's fond grin.

"Thanks, guys!" Rachel gushed to Jacie and Phoebe.

"Well, we couldn't have you heading back home without saying good bye," Phoebe answered sweetly. She had always been the more motherly, sweet type.

"Even after that farewell party the guys threw you last night," Jacie laughed and walked over to Rachel. She squeezed her tightly.

"Well, thanks. It really means a lot to me."

"Got time to eat some delicious quesadillas with us?" Jacie asked. "They're hot off the George Foreman…"

"I wish, Jace, but I've gotta get going. I don't wanna be driving late, and Dad's probably gonna need me to fix him dinner."

"But Rach…" Jacie pouted. She stuck out her lip and stamped her foot, acting like a five year old to mockingly convince her friend. _Jacie has always been so much less mature_ _than everyone else_, Rachel thought fondly.

Rachel stuck her tongue out at Jacie and laughed with the girls. She was definitely going to miss these two.

"Alright, well I'll make you some for the road. Can't have our girl out in the back country starving to death." Jacie nudged Phoebe jokingly in the ribs as she walked back over to the George Foreman quesadilla maker.

Phoebe rolled her eyes at Jacie before hugging Rachel tightly. "I'm really gonna miss you, Rach. I wish you didn't have to go."

"I know, Phoebs, but I really have to do this. You know that." Rachel smiled again, but this time it was rather half-hearted.

"I know. I just… I don't wanna have to deal with a new roommate. And you're like, one of my closest friends, Rach. I don't wanna lose you," Phoebe confided quietly, leaning towards Rachel. Phoebe was not a very outgoing person and prone to letting others walk on her and her feelings. A year and a half ago, Rachel had been looking for an apartment after a blowup with her friends. That's when Rachel and Phoebe had first met. The two immediately hit off even though they were completely different, and then Jacie had been thrown into the mix. The three had grown very close in the last year and a half. Rachel knew Jacie would watch out for Phoebe, but Rachel had always taken more notice of Phoebe's insecurities. Phoebe reminded Rachel in so many ways of her Rebecca when they had first started school, but that was where the similarities ended.

Jacie always seemed to bring out the ridiculous, more child-like side of Rachel. She was just fun. She reminded Rachel of her best friend back home, but from what Rachel knew,Leah had changed a lot due to the break up between her and her high school sweetheart.

"Anyways," Phoebe continued, not noticing Rachel had spaced out, "you gonna take some of that cake and stuff? Not sure it should stick around here."

"Huh? What was that?"

"Just wondering if you wanted to take some of your cake home," Phoebe laughed at Rachel spacing out.

"Nah. You'll need it to help cope," Rachel winked before molding her face into a serious expression. "You won't lose me. I'm planning to come back and finish my classes this fall. Or at the very least, I'm gonna call you or we can get together sometime or something."

"Yup, yup. We can do that," Phoebe said quietly, knowing her friend, no matter how much she wanted to come back, would not be coming back to Seattle.

"Here you go." Jacie brought over some quesadillas as Phoebe grabbed the cake out of the fridge.

"Well, we ought to get you on the road." Phoebe said sadly with a big smile.

"Thanks, guys! I seriously loved living with you guys, and I'm gonna miss you both so much," Rachel said, her eyes filling lightly with tears. She loved these girls so much. They were such awesome friends.

"Same here, girly! See you in a few weeks," Jacie told her at the same time that Phoebe said, "Miss you too, Rach."

The trio walked out to Rachel's car in the rain, and Phoebe and Jacie both gave Rachel hugs before she got into her car. Once she was in and driving,Phoebe and Jacie stood on the sidewalk waving as their friend drove down the road toward the interstate that would take her home.

Since she had seen her friends one last time, Rachel was ready to make the four and half hour trip to her childhood home – a place she tried to avoid thinking of. La Push. The place she had not returned to in almost three years. She had managed to avoid going home on breaks and during the summer by taking on extra hours at work to pay for school. Rachel knew it was not necessary, what with her extensive scholarship, but it kept her financially comfortable while going to school. And it served to keep her from having to deal with the pain that came from going home.

She moaned quietly to herself as she tried to get the heat to turn on in her old Volvo. It was not a fancy car, and it was older than her. But Rachel loved this car – it had proved to be reliable and never gave her any trouble. She did look forward to the day when she could get something new, but her wagon had been a great college car.

The only problem with her car was that the radio did not work. It had worked for about a week her sophomore year and then promptly quit working again. Rachel figured it was an electrical issue based on her minimal car knowledge, but she always said she would just let her own personal mechanic take a look at it. Since she would be home, maybe Jake _could_ take a look at it when she got home – that is, if he was home.

After her mother's death, Rachel had been so focused on her own pain and escaping that pain, that she had grown rather selfish and unconcerned for her father and Jacob. But when Jake just disappeared, it was like a splash of ice cold water to her face in the morning. Her dad and her brother needed her, and she had flat out chickened out on them. From the moment this realization hit her, she knew she had to go home and make amends with Billy and hopefully Jake – that is, if he came home at all.

So, Rachel made the appropriate arrangements for her classes with her advisor so she could head home. Rachel had been seriously tempted to finish her classes via correspondence when Dr. Lucas offered it, but declined, knowing full well that she would probably be too busy with caring for her father (and cleaning up the house – those two were such pigs) to finish the last couple of weeks of the eight week long courses in a manner acceptable of the work ethic instilled in her as a child by her parents. Rachel took the incompletes in both classes, telling herself she could finish them when fall semester rolled around. It was what it was, and there was no use crying over spilt milk, like her mother had always said.

She was saddened to have to leave the life she had built over the course of the last three years. She had this gut feeling that she would not be coming back in the fall like she was planning to. She glanced around at the bustling city beyond the campus and then back at the campus before starting up the car. This place had become her home, but she knew it would never be her true home. And in her heart, even as much as she tried to ignore these feelings, she kind of figured she would always end up heading back to her true home – La Push, home to the Quileute people. Her people and her home.

* * *

The old white Volvo station wagon pulled into the small town of La Push, Washington with its driver looking around. The place had not changed a bit since she left – which only caused her discomfort to increase. She could see reminders of her former life – her childhood, her friends, her brother, her sister, her father, her mother – everywhere.

When she pulled off toward the red house with the flaking trim, her eyes welled with tears. She could see Sarah Black working in the front lawn, while her young twin daughters ran away from their younger brother and the worms he drudged up from the wet garden soil. They screamed in terror as young Jacob tortured his sisters with nasty worms. Rachel could see Billy walk up behind his wife and hug her from behind. The couple would watch their children tease each other mercilessly, enjoying the sight before them and the contentment of their simple yet perfect life. It was a view Rachel loved – except for the bombardment of memories and the pain that came with it.

Rachel stopped the car next to the house and sat for a moment in the utter quiet after the engine shut off. She breathed in deeply several times before opening the driver's door and stepping out of the car. The rain poured down around her and the smell of the stifling rain mixed with the woodsy smell from the surrounding forest. The smell comforted her while stirring up further memories, similar to the one she had just experienced.

She shook her head to clear it of all the overwhelming sensations. Rachel opened the driver door of the back seat and grabbed her purse and her laptop case. She examined the house more closely this time as she walked up to the front steps, taking in the unkemptness of the outside and also what she could see on the inside.

Rachel tapped on the glass window on the front door before opening the door, knowing it was unlocked like always. "Dad…" she called as she looked around the front room, taking in the messiness of the place.

"Rachel?" came the answer as the person in question came wheeling out from the kitchen. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey Daddy!" She smiled shyly at Billy before walking across the room to meet him. "So, I don't even get a welcome home before your questions begin," she teased quietly with another small smile, not hiding the sorrow in her eyes.

Billy laughed in response to her teasing nature. His daughter smiled more brightly at his laugh and she leant over to hug him. "No, no, no. I just was surprised. I didn't think I'd be seeing you any time soon."

"Yeah, I know," Rachel smiled shyly, staring at her feet nervously. She felt like a little kid getting scolded for stealing cookies out of Sarah's priceless antique cookie jar bears. Rachel ran her hand through her loose hair. "Look – that's part of the reason I'm here, but we can talk about that later. Anyways, I really came home because of Jake. I know you told us to not to worry, but you should know that will just make Becks and I worry more," Rachel explained. "We talked on the phone and decided that it would be best if I came home to check on you – and see what is going on."

"Thanks, Sweetheart. But I am fine, and so is your brother."

"But Dad, Jake ran away! I mean c'mon. Normal parents worry when their kids go running off and no one knows where they went," Rachel exclaimed, surprised at her father's lack of concern. He had always been more lax about regarding his children than his wife had been, but this was just ridiculous.

"I have talked to your brother, though, and I know for a fact he is fine. He…"

"Well then, when is he coming home?" Rachel interrupted. Billy opened his mouth, his eyes blazing, to speak but Rachel continued knowing if she did not, she would probably not get another word in until her father's anger calmed, "I mean, Dad. why are you just letting him go running off. Do you think that's responsible?"

Billy held his hand up to stop her ranting. "Rachel Brynn, I will not tolerate you coming into my home and criticizing me on how I am handling this situation. There are things going on in our lives – mine and Jacob's – that do not involve you or your sister. Things that neither of you understand. So, as much as I appreciate you coming up from Seattle to check up on me, it would probably be better that you not concern yourself with your brother's issues. You are welcome to stay here as long as you mind your business and yours alone. Now, why don't you go get settled in this evening for your visit?"

"But Daddy, we need to talk. I want to know…"

"Rachel, no," Billy held up his hand once again, ending the conversation, and added a firm tone – one that Rachel had heard throughout her life but one that had never been directed at her – his elder voice. "This is between Jake and I, and I am sorry if this bothers you. Now, I am going to go to Charlie's to watch the Mariners. Don't wait up for me."

Rachel looked at her father blankly. She was stunned by his use of that tone with her. He had only ever used it on unruly teenagers and in council meetings – never on one of his own children. He had changed so much since she left – he seemed older, more firm, more tired. What was going on in La Push? What was he hiding?

She was pulled out of her thoughts as she heard a voice calling from outside. Rachel pulled back the lace curtain on the front door, seeing Charlie Swan walking up to the house. Billy wheeled to the front door motioning for Rachel to move. She did as he silently asked and watched him wheel out the door to meet his friend. Rachel followed him out the door mechanically. Charlie greeted her with surprise before helping Billy get into Charlie's patrol car. Billy said something to Rachel, but she was not sure what he said. _Something about not fretting_, she thought, but she could not be sure.

She watched the patrol car head off into weather that had settled into a light drizzle. Rachel went back into the house, frustrated with her conversation with her father. Why in the world was he being so unreasonable? What was he hiding? And of course, she had only irritated him, causing him to completely shut up and not talk to her. Rachel resolved to bide her time for now and bring it up in the morning. Perhaps she ought to butter him up some first.

In the meantime, she would unload her car and take her things to the room she had shared with Rebecca. Rachel brought enough clothing and stuff with her so she could stay for a few weeks so it took her a little bit of time to bring her things in to her room. Once she finished, she sat down on her bed and glanced around the room. Rachel looked around the room her half of the room versus her sister's half.

Rebecca had always been more of a girl's girl than she had been. Both sisters had shelves above next to their beds holding their trophies from their high school days. Their high school accomplishments showed the differences between the girls. Rebecca had been a dancer in school while Rachel excelled in track. They both earned scholarships for their respective sports and did extremely well in their academics, thus earning academic scholarships as well. Rebecca chose not to take advantage of the scholarships for either of these. Instead, she chose to marry her surfer sweetheart and move off to Hawaii with him. Rachel, on the other hand, took both scholarships in hand and headed off to Seattle to go to the University of Washington. She was not confident enough to go off too far from home – and she really had a hard time leaving her dad and her brother – even in the selfish state she had left home in.

Rachel glanced down at the clock, noting the time as her tummy rumbled quietly. She decided that maybe she should start some supper and then head to bed early. It had been a long drive, and she was exhausted from that and all the emotions caught up in the stress of coming home.

* * *

Rachel slept soundly in her warm flannel sheets that night, only waking when she heard her father open the squeaky front door at about 11 that night. She heard him moaning about the Mariners losing. She smiled in her half-awake state and drifted back off to sleep. Other than that single interruption, she slept like a rock. Being at home – even though it was stressful with the memories – was relaxing. Life back home was so much slower and calm.

The following morning, Rachel woke to the sun peering through her lacy curtains. She blinked in the bright sunshine and then smiled at the warmth on her face. It'd been awhile since she'd seen some honest to goodness sunshine. This sunshine was such a wonderful, pleasurable thing.

She stretched, catlike, and yawned a couple of times before pulling herself away from her warm abode. The sunshine was likely to cause her to fall back asleep. It always made her so relaxed which subsequently made her sleepy especially when she was so relaxed. _Agh! Circular logic this early was just too much._

Rachel got out of bed slowly, absorbing the sunshine as she got up. She opened up one of her duffle bags on Rebecca's bed and began rummaging through it. Rachel pulled out a bag containing her toiletries and then pulled out her running clothes.

She quickly changed into her running clothes and then went into the bathroom. Rachel ran her brush and comb through her hair and pulled it into a ponytail. She brushed her teeth and cleaned and moisturized her face. She put her things back into the small overnight bag and took it back to her room. Rachel then grabbed a granola bar out of the top of her bag before heading to the kitchen.

She followed her nose, smelling the wonderful coffee her father had made. "Mornin,' Daddy." Rachel set her granola bar on the table before heading over to the refrigerator.

"Hi, Baby Girl. How'd you sleep?" Billy sat at the kitchen table sipping on a cup of coffee while he continued to read the newspaper.

"Really good actually. I was really unnerved when I first came home with all the memories, but its home that's for sure. I slept like someone who hasn't slept in years. I just have not slept that good in a long time." Rachel talked to him while she grabbed the hazelnut creamer from the fridge and her favorite mug from the cupboard. She walked over to the coffee pot and poured herself some coffee in the mug covered with colorful, different sized hearts. After she mixed the creamer in with a spoon, Rachel went over and sat down at the table with her dad.

"That's good. I'm glad to have you home." He folded the paper back up and set it aside to focus on Rachel.

"Thanks." She took a sip of the hot coffee in front of her. "How did you sleep?"

"Pretty good," he answered simply. "How long you gonna be home?"

"I dunno. I figured at least a week or two. Thought you could use the company."

"Uh huh. You and Becky probably figured your old dad needed looking after." Billy chuckled and his daughter joined him. Even after several years away from his eldest children, he still knew them better than pretty much anyone. "She always was such a worry wart," he commented, thinking of the oldest of his twin girls.

"Nuh uh," Rachel denied, shaking her head, and subsequently her ponytail, vehemently. She grinned at her father again before sobering. "Look, about last night. I'm really sorry. I have no right to come home after all this time and just start telling you how to do things. I was just super overwhelmed with everything, and Becks and I are simply worried about Jake. From our point of view, you don't seem worried at all about him. We just want to make sure everything is okay firsthand."

"So you are spying for your sister," Billy stated, jokingly.

"Sure, sure."

Billy then continued seriously, "Honey, I'm not happy that your brother left, but he has had a ton going on right now." Rachel raised her eyebrow speculatively. There was some drama in a small town, but La Push was pretty much boring all time. "Let me explain. You remember Bella Swan, don't you? Charlie's daughter?"

"Yeah. What about her?"

"Well, when her boyfriend left her, she and Jake became really close, probably as close to love as one can get. Her boyfriend, Edward Cullen," Billy rolled his eyes at the name before continuing, "came home and she took him back. Jake stayed friends with her even though he felt so strongly for her. When she and the Cullen boy got engaged, it just pushed your brother over the edge and he took off."

"Dad, seriously lay off on the whole Cullen thing. I mean c'mon. This whole deal with the Cullens is a _story_. Chill." Rachel raised an eyebrow at Billy as he shook his head at her irritation. "That doesn't explain why you aren't worried though, Dad. He's only 16. He's not even a legal adult yet. I mean, Becks and I didn't run away from our problems 'til we were at least legal."

"Rach, like I said last night, there are things going on here involving your brother that you can't understand and can't know about. I can't say anymore than that, but your brother is not the baby you knew. He's grown up a lot." He finished with an air of finality.

"Okay," Rachel replied drawing it out exaggeratedly with her irritation. She slurped down the rest of her coffee and stood up, the chair legs scraping along the wooden floor. "I'm gonna go for a run, 'kay?"

Billy nodded as he picked up his newspaper and resumed reading the sports section. Rachel glanced over at her father before grabbing the bar off the table and heading out the back door from the kitchen.

As she walked down the steps, Rachel stuck the granola bar in her pocket and proceeded to stretch. Within a few minutes, she was jogging down the road and into town. She jogged around for a bit before ending up on First Beach – one of her favorite places on the rez.

As she jogged, she thought about all that her father had told her this morning. It totally blew her away that he still seemed to think the Cullens were a bad deal. Seriously, they were a family her people had a problem with years ago. That was almost a century ago to be exact – in the days of her great-grandfather, Ephraim Black.

Jake's reason for leaving just blew her mind away. A girl? Rachel knew Jake had always liked Bella Swan, but enough to push him into running away. La Push was turning into the home of soap operas if what Billy had just told her was true.

She kept running for a bit until she reached a log on the northern end of the beach. She walked around for a few minutes to slow her heart rate back down before walking back over to the log. Rachel sat down and pulled the granola bar out of her pocket. It was time to take a breather and eat a snack.

All of a sudden, the log shifted. Someone else sat down next to her. She had not even seen or heard the other person show up. Rachel glanced over at the newcomer warily. La Push was reasonably safe, but one could never be too careful. She had learned that the hard way when one of her classmates had gone missing several months back. The investigation had turned up nothing. It was almost as if her classmate had vanished into thin air.

She continued to pick at her granola bar for a few minutes while watching the waves crash into the shore and keeping her neighbor in her peripheral vision. The glances she stole revealed a shirtless young man who appeared to be a little older than her. She duly noted that he was very nice looking.

"You gonna eat all of that?" her neighbor asked abruptly, pulling her out of her safe zone.

"Uh – was planning to," she continued to stare off into the distance rather than face the young man.

"That's too bad. I'm starving. Been out for hours, uh, running," he hesitated in his explanation, not that Rachel cared.

"Oh," Rachel replied simply, shifting her eyes nervously. _Hours, huh, buddy? It's still pretty early_, Rachel thought to herself before nervously glancing at him again.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the young man look at her, squint, and then look a little closer. "You're one of Jake's twin sisters, ain't ya?"

"Yeah. You know my brother?" she asked. It was not surprising that he knew her brother, but he acted like he knew Jake pretty well. And Rachel knew who Jake's friends had been in school – Embry Call and Quil Ateara. The man next to here was definitely not either of them. Did this guy have anything to do with her brother's disappearance? Did he know something about Jake's whereabouts? This could be a good lead – now to follow it.

"Yup. We're friends, I guess you could say."

"Huh. You must be new around here, cause I'm pretty sure I know all of my brother's friends," Rachel replied simply, hoping to strike up a new conversation with the young man next to hear about where Jacob was. She glanced over at him for the first time, just briefly, before turning her head back to the rumbling waves in front of them. "I'm Rachel, by the way – the younger twin."

"Yeah. I knew that." Rachel saw him grin cockily at her out of the corner of her eye. "I'm Paul Meskas." He stuck his hand out to her at his introduction.

"Paul Meskas?" Rachel whipped her head around toward him, this time meeting his gaze. This young man could not possibly be one of Jacob's classmates! He looked too old – older than her as she had noted before.

Meeting his gaze was not a great idea. His eyes were a beautiful, deep brown – almost a black color. When she looked into those eyes, Rachel felt an unmistakable pull to her brother's classmate. What in the world?

The smirk gracing Paul's face transformed into a tiny, shy grin. Then he blinked slowly a few times, his face in complete awe of something. That something, Rachel could not define. Her face changed into utter confusion at his rapid mood swing.

"Hey – uh – Paul, you okay?" Rachel asked, waving her hand in front of his face to get his attention.

He sat there for another moment before coming out of his little world. He blinked again and shook his head lightly, like he was trying to clear something. Rachel raised an eyebrow at his actions skeptically. She could not figure this _boy_ out.

"Oh, uh, yeah. I'm good." He stared at Rachel for another moment before he peeled his eyes away from her and to the ocean. The way he grimaced when he did it made Rachel think it was a painful process. She watched him for a moment more before also turning to watch the rolling waves. She did continue to notice that Paul would glance briefly at her every little bit before quickly returning his eyes to the waves.

"Okay. That's good. So, uh, do you know what's going on with my brother?"

"Yes. He kind of ran off because of this girl who's marrying one of them dumb bl…" His eyes went wide and he quickly shut his mouth. He then added, "I can't really talk about it, though. It's personal stuff for Jake, and I don't think it'd be smart for me to talk about it."

"Well, I already know it has to do with Bella Swan marrying one of the Cullen kids," Rachel told him as Paul grimaced at the Cullen name. "Okay, seriously." She hopped off the log and onto her feet. "What is with everybody and not liking the Cullens? Our beef with them has been over for almost a century." She groaned irritably.

"Beef? It ain't just a _beef_, Rachel," Paul stood up glowering down at her while she appreciated the way he said her name. She almost sighed, but then remembered the angry _boy _in front of her. And he was just that – a boy. He was her brother's age, for Pete's sake. She had to control her thoughts. And man, was this _boy _big. His eyes were fiery with anger and his large hands were trembling slightly, expressing his anger more visibly. The _boy _had temper issues, too.

He had continued ranting while Rachel made note of these observations and so she only caught the end of his angry rant. "These _people_ are a menace to our people and dangerous. And Miss Bella Swan goes waltzing off to join them, knowing full well how dangerous the bloodsuckers are."

"Bloodsuckers? That's a cruel term for people, _Paul_. Why would you do that?" Paul's eyes went wide at her statement like he just totally screwed up. His mouth gaped open stupidly. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I have to get home," she said simply, glaring up at him.

Rachel spun on her heel and took off running down the beach toward home. She barely heard feet behind her so she glanced over her shoulder. Paul had jogged after her and was just catching up to her.

"What do you want?" She continued to jog as she scowled at the _boy_ running next to her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you angry," he told her sorrowfully. His face was full of utter sorrow and he looked completely dejected. Whoa – this boy _was_ a mood swinger.

Rachel came to a stop and turned toward Paul. "I don't appreciate it when people make assumptions about others based on history or based on the gossip others create. Whatever problem my great-grandfather had with these people, is not my problem. And it shouldn't be anyone else's problem, either." Paul nodded like a little getting scolded for stealing a cookie. He looked utterly adorable like this, too. _STOP thinking like that_, Rachel told herself. _You are a grown woman – control yourself_.

"I have to get home now, but I suppose I'll see you around town," Rachel told him.

"Okay. See you," Paul nodded at her sadly. He looked like he wanted to follow her but resisted unwillingly.

Rachel nodded back at him and headed for home. She was so going to have to talk to Billy about that Paul Meskas. He was a weird ducky to say the least – but he knew where Jake was so...

* * *

Within the half hour, Rachel was back at the house and in the shower. Even though the sun had been out, it had been a little cool on the beach. Her run home had warmed her up again, but once she quit moving in the house, she chilled. So, she hopped into the shower to warm herself up a bit. She wondered about her sanity as the water did not feel very warm. She loved her showers being very hot and relaxing. Rachel just figured she was extra cold.

When she finished drying her hair and dressing in some comfy, kick-around clothes, she headed out to the kitchen to make some toast and get some more coffee. Once she finished preparing her peanut butter and jam toast, she grabbed her colorful heart mug and went out to the living room.

"Had a nice run?" Billy asked from his easy chair.

"Yup. Ran into one of Jake's friends on the beach when I stopped to rest." Rachel sat down on the couch lengthwise and pulled the afghan off the back off the couch to cover herself. She still had not warmed up after her shower.

"Really?" Billy looked over at his daughter and asked, "Who?"

"Paul Meskas. And let me tell you that boy is strange - temperamental and huge." _And gorgeous_, she added in her thoughts. "And that's not the whole of it. He got this really funny look when we looked at each other. It's like he drifted off to lalala land. Maybe he's clinically insane." Rachel laughed to herself before immediately scolding herself for thinking such a thing.

Billy said nothing, but looked at his daughter with wide eyes and an o-shaped mouth. "Oh my." Billy shook his head slightly before commenting, "Well that's interesting."

"Interesting? It's strange if you ask me, Dad. And I mean I said he was huge. Is he on steroids? Why hasn't the school said anything about this?"

"It's not a big deal, Sweetheart. It's genetic. Several of the boys on the rez have this same problem. It's sort of random apparently," Billy answered vaguely. He knew Rachel was perceptive and had been somewhat concerned about her perceptiveness and the secret he and a select few knew of.

"Genetic?" Rachel asked skeptically. She then shook her head slightly and then verbally gave up with an okay. Inside, however, she had not given up. She had only given up for the time being, but she would get to the bottom of what was going on her reservation. It was all a little too weird. Jake running off; Paul being as huge as a house; Paul watching her so strangely earlier. Strange stuff that she would definitely understand before she went back to Seattle in a few weeks.

"You warm enough, Sweetheart?" Billy asked, noting Rachel huddled under the blanket and clutching her coffee.

"I got a little cold on my run and my shower would not warm me up. I had it on full hot and it still was not warming me up. Is the hot water heater going south?"

"I don't think so. I haven't had any problems with it, and I took a nice hot shower this morning."

"Oh."

"C'mere. You getting sick?"

Rachel hopped off the couch and over to Billy's chair. She knelt down next to him, and he put his wrist to her forehead.

"I don't think so. I feel fine. Why?"

"No reason. Just wanted to make sure."

"Do I have a temperature?"

"I think you're good. Just let me know if you start feeling weird."

"Okay." Rachel stood up and walked back over to the couch, hiding her confused expression as she walked over. "I think I'm going to head back to my room and grab my book."

"Okie doke. I need to run some errands, so I'll be back in a bit."

"Oh, okay. Where ya heading? Need me to take you?"

"Just some tribal business is all. Thank you for the offer, but I'll be fine on my own."

"Do you want me to make us lunch then?" Rachel asked with a shy, helpful look on her face. She came home to take care of him and Jake, not sit around reading books.

"Don't worry about it. Dinner on the other hand…" Billy winked at Rachel. "You know I love your cooking, Baby Girl."

"Alright, Daddy. I'll make you dinner."

"In the meantime, go chill. Deal?"

"Deal schmeal." She grinned at him before walking down the hallway to get her book. She spent the rest of her day reading her book, making some lunch and then dinner for herself and Billy, and then doing some deep cleaning around the house.

* * *

If you reached this far, thanks for reading. I hope you all liked it – it'll get more interesting in the coming chapters.

Oh and please review – they are a huge encouragement to me. And I really appreciate your input on my storyline and character development.

Finally, I want to thank my two betas from Project Beta Team, sairyn and lunar-eclipse95. They did such excellent work reading through this and catching my ever-present stupid mistakes. : )


	2. Killer Bats

I still don't own Rachel, Paul, the wolves, or anything Twilight – Stephenie does. I only own the basic storyline here and the AU aspect of it – maybe… So don't sue me – I be muy muy poor! ; )

* * *

KILLER BATS

* * *

Rachel's second night home ended with whoops and hollers from outside of her house. She almost jumped out of her skin when she hopped out of bed, looking around bleary-eyed. Her mind raced in confusion before she consciously focused herself on finding out what was going on. She walked over to her closet where she had put away her clothing and stuff the previous evening and pulled out her bathrobe and slippers. Rachel slipped them on as she heard further yelling outside.

She headed out of her bedroom and to the front room. She looked around to see if her father was up, but she did not see him. How in the world did he sleep through the racket outside? She glanced around the living area worriedly. What if these people had bad intentions toward her and Billy? What would she do? Her father could not be expected to protect them. Rachel looked around rapidly for a weapon to defend herself and did not see anything in plain sight. She began poking quietly around the coat closet and found an old baseball bat. She hesitantly snuck toward the door and stood by it, ready to take on anyone if they came through the door. Her hands shook with her nerves and fear. She had never had do this before, and it absolutely terrified her. She did have the rationale to think that maybe she should lock the door, but since they were going to get in anyways with as old as this door was, maybe she should just leave it unlocked so she could face the intruder head on. That way they would not have to break the lock or the door in any way.

Rachel stood by the door with the bat ready to swing. She barely breathed as she waited to hear steps on the porch. And then the door was opening – she had not even heard any footsteps on the porch. As soon as the door was fully open and she could see someone in her peripheral vision, Rachel swung the bat.

Rachel heard a resounding thud followed by a grunt as the person was hit but did not budge. Rachel's eyes opened wide as she came away from her hiding spot just inside the door frame. Paul stood there with a funny expression filled with both pain and what was almost a look of awe. It was mostly the awe, though, rather than the pain. Behind him stood another huge guy rivaling Paul's size – Jared Thail, who Rachel remembered being Paul's best friend from when she had been in high school. Had they not been together, she would not have recognized them – as was the case yesterday.

"Oh my gosh! Are you okay?" Rachel rushed over to him, concerned. She shook her head and added, "Of course you're not okay. I just hit you with a baseball bat."

He stood there dazed for a second, before walking through the front door to let Jared in. He grinned at Rachel before halting just inside. "I'm totally good." Rachel fussed over him and noticed a giant bruise beginning to form on his bare chest.

"No you're not. I'm so sorry. C'mon in and let me take a look at it."

"Wow, man. You've only talked to her once, and she's already trying to kill ya," came a comment from Jared. Rachel had completely forgotten Paul's friend in her concern for Paul. "Anyways, we just wanted to talk to Billy," he stated more seriously.

Rachel was slightly taken aback by Jared's first comment while Paul just sent his friend a death glare. "Do you mind if we come in?" Paul asked, completely oblivious to Rachel's previous invitation.

"No – not at all, like I said." She smiled at the two young men and then directly turned towards Paul who simply watched her. "Look, I'm really sorry about that, Paul. You guys just scared me what with the hollering," Rachel explained before leading the duo into the kitchen.

"Man! I'm really sorry. We didn't mean to scare you," Paul told her, following right behind. He shot a death glare back at Jared again for his obnoxious behavior outside before asking Rachel if she was alright.

"Why are you asking me if I'm fine? You're one who got hit with the baseball bat." Rachel glanced back at Paul like he had to two heads. "Anyways, I'm just the moron who's scared to death of things that go bump in the night. But I guess you can't be too careful, especially after all the murders and kidnappings in Seattle a few months ago."

"We won't let anybody hurt ya." Rachel looked at Paul skeptically. Why would he worry about her except as a Good Samaritan? And what could a teenager do about it anyways? _Whatever_, Rachel thought, shaking her head so she could focus on the current conversation. "But nah. I'm fine. But are you okay?" Paul insisted, hovering over her.

"Yeah, I'm fine just a coward." Rachel wrinkled her nose at her confession and then smiled at his ridiculousness. He stood over her and watched her eyes carefully, and Rachel could not help but get caught up in his in return. They were so beautiful.

"Wow – you two are loopy," Jared interjected with a laugh. Paul reached over and smacked him upside the head with an angry squint of the eyes. Their actions caused Rachel to walk away from Paul and over to the coffee pot, earning Jared another smack from his best friend.

"Do you guys want anything to eat or drink?" she asked quietly, slightly unnerved by the sensations Paul Meskas could stir up in her. He had quite an effect on her and she was not sure what to think. Then there was the age aspect that was nagging at the back of her mind. He was at least three years younger than her – she really should not be reacting like this.

"Sure," they replied in unison and then laughing as though they shared some kind of private joke.

"Okay. Whaddya want? I've got some eggs and bread here, but not much else. Dad doesn't have a lot of food beyond TV dinners," she laughed.

"Eggs would be great," Paul answered for him and his friend with a smile.

"Okie doke. I'll whip some up. How many do you each want?" Rachel asked.

"You might wanna just fix up the whole carton, Sweetheart," came a voice from the down the hall and then the sound of his wheels creaking along the wooden floorboards.

"Thanks, Dad!" she hollered before turning to the face the frisge. Rachel grimaced at the fridge and grabbed the pack of eighteen eggs. She was absolutely positive they would not eat that much but she did as instructed. She whipped up the eggs, added some flour, cheese, and a few spices, and poured the mixture into the buttered skillet. Within fifteen minutes, the eggs were set on the table as well as several slices of bread for each person. Rachel also got each of the boys and her father a glass of orange juice to go with their breakfast.

"Alrighty. Dig in," Rachel told them. Billy did as he was told and then Jared followed suit.

"Hey!" Jared cried as Paul whacked his arm hard. Jared's arm was bright red where Paul had hit him.

"Rachel and Billy first. Then you can," Paul growled fiercely at him. He almost looked like he wanted to beat the crap out of his friend. Billy raised a knowing eyebrow at the pair before looking at his daughter's concerned face.

"It's okay, Paul." Rachel gently touched his arm, hoping to calm him down. Her father's severe look didn't calm Paul down in the slightest like it had straightened Jared up. Paul turned toward her, still fuming. "It really is, but thank you. I was only planning to have cereal and juice anyways. Go ahead and get something to eat." She smiled again. Paul looked hard at the black haired woman touching his upper arm and visibly calmed. He smiled and turned towards the food.

Rachel stood back up and grabbed a bowl from the cupboard as well as the milk and Grape Nuts. When she sat back down, she noted just how much they had all eaten. _WOW! They ate a lot._ The friends joked back and forth while they ate as though they hadn't almost beat the crap out of each other only minutes before. Paul's eyes continually kept stealing glances at Rachel with her noticing some of his looks. Today they did not unnerve her like they had the previous morning. In fact, she was beginning to kind of appreciate it, but she would of course not tell anyone that.

After she finished eating, she excused herself and went to the back of the house to shower. She was getting slightly nervous and claustrophobic with two giant boys in her father's kitchen. And honestly, Paul made her feel things she hadn't felt in so long that she just wanted to escape it.

* * *

When Rachel came back out to the kitchen, she could hear Jared and Paul talking with her father.

"Billy, I have to tell her. She needs – no, she has a right – to know," Paul told Billy. What was he talking about? What did she need to know? Rachel wondered as she stopped in the hallway. She knew she should not eavesdrop but she could not help it. This sounded too important not to know – especially if it could be about Jacob.

"Paul, she has a lot on her plate. Jake's gone – she does not understand what is going on with that situation. And I'm afraid _it _will happen soon. She was chilled after her run yesterday and she could not warm up. Just give it some more time. I talked to Sam about it yesterday, and he completely agreed with my decision."

Paul groaned loudly at the mention of some guy named Sam before asking rather dejectedly, "Can I-we just hang out then?"

"If she doesn't mind, I do not. Just don't eat all the food," Billy warned. Rachel knew Paul got a look with that statement – Billy loved his food. She then heard a slight whisper from her father but could not make out what he said to the two. The kitchen went deathly quiet as though the three in the kitchen were listening for Rachel's approach. She decided at that point, it would be good to make herself known. So she walked out of the hallway and into the kitchen. The three men looked at her together, almost as one being. She smiled at all of them and began clearing the dishes away like she had not heard anything.

The boys went back to eating as though nothing happened, but it did not fool Billy. "How much did you hear, Rachel?"

"Oh – nothing," Rachel told him, leaving her back to him as she stood at the sink. If she turned toward him at this moment, he would know the truth. He could read his daughter like an open book. Her voice did shake a little – not noticeably – at least Rachel thought it didn't.

"Okay," Billy answered. His mouth said he believed her but his tone said the complete opposite. Rachel continued to work on cleaning up the kitchen – cleaning the plates off, loading the dishwasher, and wiping the counters with hot soapy water. Once she finished, Rachel informed the trio who still sat at the table – now discussing the Mariners' record – that she would be cleaning the house some more today. They nodded at her to acknowledge what she said and then went back to their conversation, ignoring her. She rolled her eyes and went to work.

As she worked, Rachel thought about the brief part of conversation she had overheard. She had hated to lie to her father about what she heard, but she felt it was necessary. Whatever was going on with Jake, these guys, her father, and whatever they wanted to wait to tell her was all connected. And what was it with these guys and not liking the Cullens? Billy had never liked the Cullens, but his dislike was influencing the opinions of young minds in the tribe, and as an elder, he had a responsibility to be a good influence. Rachel continued to stew on the things she was learning and what bothered her about everything. She would get to the bottom of this if it was the last thing she did. And Paul Meskas might just be the way to do it…

* * *

This chapter is more filler and short but I think it is necessary to draw out Rachel learning about the wolves and stuff. I just don't think it would be an automatic gotta tell Rachel kinda deal. I can't imagine any of the imprints except maybe Emily might have learned about it right away. They would probably run away screaming that the Quileutes are loony toons. : )

And I'm starting to give some hints on what path Rachel might just be taking. So keep your eyes open for that.

Again, sorry this is so short. I just didn't feel I could add any more to this chapter and make it flow normally. : )

Thanks to all of my readers and my PTB betas for this chapter, lost in his golden eyes and Littlevic.

And finally, once again, please review. Huge encouragement… :D Hugs to all of you, my wonderful readers/reviewers!


	3. You're Kidding Right

I still don't own Rachel, Paul, the wolves, or anything Twilight – Stephenie does. … Just leave it at that. :D

* * *

YOU'RE KIDDING – RIGHT?

* * *

Rachel's day passed quickly. Although, by the end of the day, she was not feeling real well. She was beginning to wonder if that cold thing two days ago had simply been her beginning to get sick. So, she headed to bed early to hopefully to get the fever that had been building to back. And then when she woke up at two in the morning sweating like a pig, she could not find a thermometer anywhere in the house. She made a note of that and planned to get one as soon as she could.

The following morning she felt okay – just feverish. She did not feel like she had the flu nor did she feel like her head was stuffed up. She wanted to go run but she figured it would be better not to just in case she was sick. But she could have swore she had a fever the previous night.

She took a little extra care in preparing herself for the day since she was going in to town. Sweats and a tank top would not do for going in to town. And just maybe she might see a certain someone… Nope – she was not going down that path. Rachel reminded herself of the age difference – a huge no-no in her book. She shook her head to rid her mind of thoughts of the huge boy and his gorgeous body and put on her mascara.

Once she was ready for the day, she headed out to the kitchen to get some breakfast. She hoped to head into town before noon and get some groceries so she could actually cook food rather than throw things in the microwave. The freezer burned meatloaf on the spaghetti noodles with two year old tomato sauce was not exactly what she had in mind for dinner – yuck!

She spoke briefly to her father while they ate breakfast over a neutral topic like the weather before heading out. Rachel had given up on trying to get anything out of him. He had already decided not to tell her and when her father got stubborn, no one could make any headway with him except perhaps Sarah Black.

Rachel's eyes misted at the thought of her mother. With all the stuff going on in the last couple of days, she had completely forgotten about Sarah. She went back to her room to keep her father from seeing her cry. She did not want to make this any more difficult on him than it was. His twin daughters looked quite similar to their mother and immediately after Sarah's death, just seeing his daughters caused him pain because of the resemblance. Rachel looked in the mirror on the back of the bedroom door and watched her reflection.

"I wish you were here, Momma. This is so hard, and Daddy won't tell me anything. And I'm worried about Jake. He's so young still…" she trailed off as the tears began to flow full on. She curled up on her bed and cried for several minutes before feeling a hand on her back. Rachel picked her head up slightly to look and smile at her father, but it was not her father's face that greeted her.

"Hey," Paul greeted huskily, kneeling beside her bed. "What's going on?"

"Just missing my mom." Rachel sat up while Paul kept a hand on her back, rubbing it. She folded her legs so they crossed one another, and now she sat eye level with Paul. She watched his face contently for a moment before saying, "She would know how to make sense of everything." Paul raised his eyebrows, encouraging her to continue. "I mean Jake's gone and he's so young to be off on his own. He leaves over a girl and nobody seems to care or be concerned at all." She shook her head before adding, "I know we've already had this discussion but c'mon." Paul nodded.

"And then I've not been feeling well, and I think I'm getting sick. Whenever I get sick, I really want my mom. She always took such good care of me, and made me soup and that kind of stuff," Rachel sniffled.

"I know. It's hard. I can't say I know exactly how you feel, but I wish I could make your pain and grief go away." He pulled himself onto her bed and sat behind her. He cautiously began pulling Rachel back so she could lean on him. She leaned back and sighed contently, feeling safe, warm, and whole all at once. Weird … she brushed the thought away and just enjoyed feeling comforted as Paul rubbed his hands up and down her arms while his chin gently rested on her hair.

After a few minutes, Rachel began to feel sleepy and relaxed. As much as she did not want to, she could not fall asleep. Her mind remembered why she avoided thinking about him, and in a half-hearted way, did not want to see him at all. She could not give Paul the wrong impression. He was much too young for her, and as much as she wanted to fight her rationale, she could not give into her attraction to Paul. So she sat up and rubbed her eyes. Paul's happy, content smile disappeared when she sat up. Maybe she should address this situation head on as it seemed he was already getting some ideas about their relationship.

"Paul, look. I think I may be giving you mixed signals," she began. Paul watched her critically for a moment but did not say anything. "I really appreciate your friendship. It is helping a lot with being home – like just now – but I really only want to be your friend. I'm not interested in a relationship or anything like that," she told him calmly before her voice picked up speed and pitch. "And I'm going back to school in the fall at the very latest. I have a degree to finish up and a life back there and friends and…" Rachel trailed off, running out of things in Seattle that were so great.

"Yeah. I just wanted to be friends anyways," he informed her. Rachel knew he was lying though because his became somewhat downcast. "This doesn't have anything to do with me being younger does it? If I were older…"

"No, of course not." Paul looked at Rachel skeptically which broke her resolve to lie to him. "Okay. Maybe a little. But three years is a big difference. I don't know anyone you know because of our age difference and our difference in grades in school."

"You know Jared?" Paul pointed out to her irritably. He ran his hand through his hair as though he were trying to control himself.

"That's because you two were always together in school and still are. Like Rocky and Bullwinkle or Charlie Brown and Linus or Bill and Ted or Corey and Shawn or …"

"I get the point," he cut her off curtly. "So, if I were the older one, you would still not go out with me? That is _if I_ actually asked _you_."

"If you were older, maybe," Rachel replied tartly. This was getting a bit ridiculous.

"Isn't that a little hypocritical?" He glowered at her. Both were standing toe to toe now with Paul towering over Rachel and both angry as all get out.

"I don't think so. I prefer a guy to be older than me when I date him. And I might be open to a guy a year younger but three? It's a little much for me," she answered haughtily. Normally, she was not like this, but he was just pushing all her buttons today what with her being emotionally distraught she was prone to being pushed over the edge.

Paul growled at her. Rachel raised an eyebrow at that – again weird. Another thing to add to the con list regarding Paul's attributes.

"Fine. I'm just gonna go since you don't seem to appreciate me," Paul sneered. He left her room in two strides, slamming the door behind him. She felt the vibrations from her bedroom door and then the front door as he slammed that, too. Rachel stood, shocked by Paul's outburst. She wanted to burst into tears but she fought them back. This _boy_ had no control over her emotions and would not affect them in the slightest. He would only win if she cried and that was simply not going to happen.

She had hoped to learn something from him about what was going on in La Push since he seemed to know, but now she had totally blown it. She allowed herself to get involved and got hurt – again. The tears threatened even more. She bit her lip and gulped in some air to calm down. Once she could breathe easier, she sniffled the tears back once more before heading to the bathroom. She splashed her face with cool water and washed her face. She reapplied her makeup and headed back to her room to put her flip flops on. Once she had them, she grabbed her purse and headed out to the front door.

"Heading to town, Rach?" Billy asked from his recliner.

"Yeah," she told him. She had not spoken since Paul had left and her voice broke slightly.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Paul and I just had a disagreement."

"I know. I heard. Do you think you might have been a little hard on him?"

"Me? He seems to think that he can just come in and take advantage of my weakened emotional state. Not gonna happen. And as I recall from my high school years, that _boy_ and his _friend_ were quite the little players," Rachel informed in a higher pitch voice than normal.

Billy looked like he wanted to disagree but chose not to argue with his daughter. He pulled his newspaper back up to his face to avoid his daughter's temper.

Rachel rolled her eyes exaggeratedly before walking out the door. She hopped into her station wagon and headed off to La Push.

Within a few minutes, she was pulling up to the local grocery store. She glanced down at the list she had made over the last few days and began shopping. Rachel faced some difficulty finding the things that she wanted simply because La Push was a small town and the grocery store could not compare to the gigantic stores in Seattle. Maybe Forks or Port Angeles would have what she needed. Before she knew it, though, she had completed her shopping and took her purchases out to her car. As she was loading them into the car, she heard a voice behind her call to her.

"So, Rachel Black finally came home, and she totally did not tell me."

Rachel turned to the voice and squealed. She ran to her best friend and hugged her. "Leah. How've you been, girly? I haven't talk to you in forever. You seem so busy nowadays."

"Yeah. Hi to you, too, Rach. I've been okay – a bit busy, though." Leah shrugged and smiled at her friend – a smile that did not reach her eyes like it used to. The woman in front of her was nothing like the best friend Rachel had left behind. Her face was hard and the smile she gave Rachel looked almost like it didn't belong on her face. Leah's face immediately transformed into something Rachel could not read distinctly – anger, sadness, and disappointment were some of the emotions Rachel could see flash to the surface.

She looked to where Leah was gazing and saw a couple. Sam Uley and Emily Young. Leah's ex-boyfriend and Leah's favorite cousin who were now going together. The two looked at each other with complete adoration for each other before kissing lightly. Rachel looked away disgusted and made a bleh sound.

The whole thing irked Rachel due to what Sam had done to her best friend. Leah was a great gal and got screwed over by this fruit loop so he could be with her cousin. Rachel had always hung out with Emily when she came to town so it surprised her when she found out that Leah's sweet cousin had started dating Leah's ex right after they broke up. This had always bothered her, but when she called Leah to talk, Leah always cut her off and quickly moved the conversation elsewhere.

Noticing Rachel notice the couple, Leah spoke up, distracting herself and Rachel from the other two, "So, how long you back in town?" A look of understanding passed between them. They had been friends for so long that often times words were unnecessary for them – almost to the same degree as Rachel and Rebecca.

"Oh. At least a few weeks. I want to make sure Dad is back on his "feet" before I head back to Seattle." She did air quotes when she said feet. Leah grinned at her friend's joking and shook her head at her friend's antics.

"Cool. I'm glad you're back for while. Hanging around all those guys is so depressing sometimes – especially those two," Leah told Rachel then motioned toward the happy couple still shopping. "And I was kinda worried about you being Seattle with all those, uh, murders."

"Seattle's a big city," Rachel smiled at her friend reassuringly.

"Yeah. Well, I don't think it's quite big enough for _them_," she muttered.

"What are you talking about?" Now her friend was in on all this crap, too?

"Nothin'. Never mind," Leah replied dismissively and then asked, "So, whatcha up to?"

"Just doing some grocery shopping. Dad's fridge is basically just TV dinners and leftovers from your mom and some of the other ladies. It's ridiculous. I'm determined to teach him so cooking skills so he doesn't die early from some bizarre reaction to TV dinners," Rachel laughed, ignoring her friend's dismissal of the earlier topic. She began putting the bags into the back of the car again and Leah immediately got in there and helped. "Got any plan today?"

"Kind of. It's complicated, though. I was wondering if maybe we could sit down and have some coffee before you head home," Leah asked.

"I'd love to, but I've gotta get these cold things home. Wanna meet up after that?" Rachel asked.

Leah nodded, "We could do that or I could just come with you, and we could make some crap and go out to our old secret place." Leah winked at Rachel and grinned a childlike smile. From what Rachel had hear from her dad, Leah had become something of a cranky old hen while she had been off at school. It was nice to see that being with her helped her friend's mood.

"Oooo. That's an even better plan." The two finished loading the car up and then hopped in and headed for the Black house. Once they finished unloading their stuff, the two of them made up a sudo-picnic lunch and headed for their secret place.

They found this secret place when they were girls and playing in the woods one day. It was located between their two homes so they met there on sunny days or when one of them just needed to talk. Their relationship had always been close. Rachel found it hard to relate to Rebecca at times because of Rachel's toward tomboy behavior and Leah's lack of a sister. Rachel loved her sister, but at times, she thought of Leah more as her twin than her own twin was.

The two women walked quite a ways in the dense underbrush before coming into the small clearing. It was one of the rare places this close to the ocean that was void of a stand of trees. The girls had constructed a sudo-room in the open area. There was an old cable spool sitting there as well as two large pieces of logs they had used as chairs. The _furniture_ was much more weather worn than it had been the last time Rachel had been here.

When they had been young girls, they had always brought a 'table cloth' that had been of a ratty, old blanket Sue Clearwater had sitting around her house. Later on they added some old beat up dishes Sarah had been planning to throw away but gave to the girls. And then whenever spring and summer was upon them, they picked flowers and put it in a nice vase they had bought in Port Angeles one year to "pretty up" the table. They kept all of things out of the rain in a little rock cave they had found a little ways away from the secret place.

As time passed, the 'table cloth' and the dishes left the scene as Rachel and Leah matured, but the vase had stayed. It was something memorable for both of them. Something they had purchased together and it in away, signified their friendship and friendship love for each other.

Neither woman had been back to their secret place since shortly before Rachel left for college. That was almost three years ago. So, when they arrived there, they immediately went in search of their rock cave. They found it quickly and the vase hidden inside. It was weather worn as well and looking rather green from sitting in such a moist place for so long. It also had a chip in the white porcelain now, but both women sighed contently at the sight of their beloved vase.

They both looked at each other and laughed as Leah reached down and picked it up. They headed back out to the clearing and sat down on their logs. They set the cooler they had brought with them down on the table and opened it up. Rachel pulled out the bologna and cheese sandwiches and Leah grabbed the chips and the yogurt from inside. Finally, they set the bag of cucumbers and the jar of peanut butter on the table.

They began eating their sandwiches in silence. They ate everything except the cucumbers and the peanut butter. When they finally were ready to eat the cucumbers, Rachel leaned over and grabbed two plastic knives from the lunchbox. She handed one to Leah who promptly opened the peanut and smeared some peanut butter on of the cucumbers. Rachel followed suit. Interestingly enough, the two had found this way to eat cucumbers as something they both loved. When people wondered about their sanity in eating cucumbers with peanut butter, they simply told people it was like eating celery with peanut butter except without the stringy stuff.

"Okay. So, I think you know there is stuff going on here in La Push that nobody'll tell you about, right?" Leah asked smearing another cucumber.

Rachel stopped putting peanut butter on her cucumber in shock. Where was this coming from? She figured she would have to pry it out of Paul Meskas – who now hated her guts with a passion – and here her best friend is willing to just give it to her. "Uh, yeah. Dad won't talk about it, and neither will anyone else for that matter – except you," Rachel explained, a little confused.

"So, here's the deal. I'm not supposed to tell you but no _one_ ordered me not to tell you. I'm just going to because you need to know about this and about what's going to happen to you." She took a bite before continuing. "Honestly, I don't think you're gonna go back to school, Rach. So, you might wanna forget that grand plan."

"What? Of course, I'm going back to school. There isn't anything here that I need to stay for…"

Leah cut Rachel's rant off, "Shut up, and let me finish, stupid." Rachel stuck her tongue out at Leah who rolled her eyes in response. "There will be something you can stay here for. Actually, you will want to stay her for it. At the very least, you'll want to stay for a year or two until you can get it under control." Rachel opened her mouth to ask what she was talking about but Leah glared at her. So, this was how her best friend normally was now. Rachel held her hands up in surrender, and Leah rolled her eyes before continuing. Okay so no making Leah angry – check.

"You know the ancient stories of the tribe that your dad and your grandpa used to tell us all the time?" Rachel nodded. "Well, they're true."

Rachel gaped at her friend before stuttering out, "All of th-th-them?"

"I dunno. All I do know for sure is the story of your great-grandfather and the _Cullens_ and couple of others are true for sure."

"The Cullens? How do they picture into this? I don't think I remember that story." All Rachel remembered was there was some kind of feud between the Quileutes and the Cullens.

"The one about the cold ones."

"Oh," was all Rachel said before realization hit her. "You're saying the Cullens are the cold ones?"

"Yup."

"Vampires?"

"Yup."

Rachel's eyes widened until Leah thought they might explode. Then Rachel laughed. "You're kidding, right? That's simply ridiculous, Lee. I mean c'mon." She laughed nervously one last time before looking at the grass.

Leah raised her eyebrows and said, "Nope," popping the p. Rachel swallowed hard and stared off into space.

"This can't be happening. But what does that mean for us? I mean, why aren't they eating us?" she asked after coming back to reality.

"Because of the treaty your grandfather signed with them years ago. First off, they can't cross onto Quileute land, and second, they are forbidden from hunting humans while they live in Forks. Supposedly, they only feed on animals but ya never know."

"But why would they listen? We can't enforce it."

"Yes we can. You remember the rest of the story, right?" Rachel nodded. The stories of Taha Aki were some of her favorite as a child. A thriller from her very own tribe – excitement in the making. "Well, some of the guys around La Push transform into giant wolves like our ancestors did." Rachel's eyes went super wide this time – they had to explode now, Leah was sure.

"Wolves? Like real wolves?" Leah nodded. "So, these guys that are freakishly huge – do they…uh… change?"

"Yeah. So, do a few others. The younger ones tend to not be quite as big as they are still growing and apparently females don't change quite as much as the males do."

"Females? I thought the ancient pack was only males?"

"We think that is the case, but we don't have any documentation of it…"

"Well, then how do we know that females…" Rachel interrupted before trailing off with the sudden epiphany that hit her. "You're a wolf, too, aren't you?" Leah nodded sadly. "Oh, Leah. I wish I'd have been here. I could've helped you."

"No you couldn't have," Leah told her with downcast eyes. "I couldn't have told you because we can't tell anyone who is not either a wolf or an imprint."

"Imprint?"

"Yeah, it's some ridiculous wolf thing. I can't tell you about it for right now cause it's not my place and Sam ordered me not to. I can't go against his orders," Leah explained with an eye roll.

"You can't?"

"He's the Alpha – the boss, the top dog. And let me tell you, it sucks to have him there."

"Man, Lee. I'm so sorry. But why were you able to tell me? Or is that why you weren't supposed to?" Rachel asked, concerned her friend had broken the rules.

"Nah. You woulda found out sooner or later. I just heard about how you've been bugging everybody, and I figured I oughta just tell ya. You can get so annoying with your persistence." Leah smiled at her friend knowingly. "And let me tell ya, you did an awesome job annoying Paul."

"Oh, ha ha ha," Rachel responded sarcastically. "But why'd you tell me? I'm not an imprint, am I?"

"Uh … well … you're gonna change into a wolf soon," Leah told her sheepishly. "I hate to say it but I'm kind of glad cause then I won't be alone. But I feel bad cause I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy."

Rachel took in a deep breath, absorbing all the information she had just taken in. "Wow. When?"

"I dunno for sure. But the guys think it'll be soon. You've been feeling kind a feverish and that's a common sign just before someone first phases."

"Oh. That's why my dad wouldn't tell me if I had a fever, huh?"

"Yup, probably."

"Where's Jake, by the way? Is he a wolf?" Rachel asked, suddenly remembering her little brother.

"Yeah. He fell in love with Bella, and now Bella is planning on marrying the leech. When he found out, Jake decided he wanted to live like a wolf and escape the pain."

"Oh," Rachel's heart broke at her brother's grief. She wanted to wrap him up in a hug and hold him and make it better. They finished the cucumbers off talking about other things, but Rachel had the wolf thing at the back of her mind constantly. She was going to be a wolf. It blew her mind away. She wanted to ask more questions, but she figured this was enough for now. Soon, enough she would know more than she cared to.

After they were out there for about an hour, they decided to head back to the house. Rachel needed to talk to her dad and get some stuff done. Leah also needed to go inform the rest of the pack of Rachel's knowledge of their existence.

On their way back the house, Rachel commented, "So, that's why he called the Cullens bloodsuckers?"

"What?" Leah asked, confused.

"Paul called the Cullens bloodsuckers the first day I met him. He's a wolf, isn't he?"

"Yeah. The most temperamental of all of us. It doesn't take make for him to change." Leah rolled her eyes at the thought of the most volatile wolf pack member.

Rachel laughed. Figures.

When the women got to the house, Rachel waved good bye to Leah who apparently had to go on patrol, whatever that meant. A wolf thing, Rachel figured. Seemed to be all Leah's revolved around anymore. Then Rachel stormed up the porch steps. She felt the need to yell at her father for keeping this knowledge from her. Rachel was not too angry, but she did feel the need to yell a bit – let him know she was unhappy.

"Dad!" she yelled as soon as she was in the front door. Inside the house, she was met with the faces of Paul and Jared as well as Sam Uley, Embry Call, and Quil Ateara. She knew the younger two from their close friendship with her little brother. They were like annoying little brothers she totally did not want. Sam sat in on the love seat while Jared and Paul took the couch, barely fitting there. Embry and Quil were crashed on the floor. Her father's chair sat empty, waiting for the return of its owner.

Since these guys knew what was going on in her life, she was just gonna yell at Billy anyways. Who cares if they found out that she knew? Leah told her not to worry about Sam's reaction to Leah telling Rachel the truth.

"Dad!" she yelled again, ignoring the looks from the five sitting in her living room. The five watched her carefully as she marched through the living room. She opened her mouth to holler again as Billy entered the living room form the kitchen.

"Calm down, Rach. What's going on?" He wheeled into the living room and moved himself into his easy chair from his wheelchair.

"What's going on?" she asked sarcastically following him back into the living room. She shied away for minute under the gaze of the five men crammed into the living room. Rachel then looked at her father and regained some of her confidence. "I can't believe you actually have the audacity to ask that. I was the one left out of the loop, and you don't have even bother to fill me in. Because ya know, I was gonna find out sooner or later. I know that now, too." Rachel had her hands on her hips, and she knew her eyes were blazing with her anger. It had only strengthened as she had given her little speech.

"So, you found out. Who told you?" Billy asked with an accusing look at the pack boys.

"That's not important right now," Rachel told her father. "What I want to know is why you didn't tell me sooner? I mean c'mon. My brother disappears partly because of all this crap and you can't even bother to tell me. Especially, when you know I'm gonna change like he did."

"You know that, too, huh?" Billy sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Sweetheart, there is more to this than just you. It will impact all of the pack members with what will happen with you. Your transformation will be different than anyone else's has been."

"You mean because I'm a girl. Like Leah." Rachel pointedly glared at Sam – the guy who would soon be the head honcho in her life. That just made her angrier. She could not stand the thought of this fruit cake having any control over her life, and he would soon have the power to control her life in any way he chose.

"No, Rachel. Yes, you will be one of two women in the pack, but that is not the reason for the difference," Sam informed her in an authoritative tone. At this, Jared, Embry, and Quil got up and headed for the door. "We'll meet at Emily's in a bit." Jared nodded and led the way out the door with the other two close on his heels.

After Sam was sure they were out of hearing distance, he asked, "Would you like to sit, Rachel? Paul won't bite." Paul grinned brightly at her. Wasn't he mad at her the last time she saw him?

"Before we start, can I just apologize?" Sam nodded at Paul's request. "I'm sorry about this morning .You'll understand why I got upset in a minute, but I want you to know that I'm sorry." Rachel nodded her acceptance of his apology as she sat on the opposite end of the couch. Even with the apology, she shoved herself as far away from Paul as possible. This was all just a little too weird and uncomfortable.

"Alright. Well, Rachel, what has Leah told you?" Sam asked her calmly and with an authoritative tone that allowed for no argument. Even Rachel found she could not fight the commanding tone in his voice.

"She, uh, told me about the Cullens and what they are. She also mentioned something about imprints, whatever that means, and then she talked a little about the pack. Basically, she told me you're the top dog," Rachel giggled slightly at the pun and then added, "and that I will be turning into a wolf, too."

"Okay. I had hoped she would not tell you, but since she did, we'll just fill you in on what you need to know for now. Most of this stuff you'll learn soon enough when you phase." Sam smiled kindly at her. "The main thing I want to talk to you about is imprinting."

Rachel nodded in response and then asked, "Is it anything like ducks?" Rachel's wry expression would have been laughable had the intensity not been so high in the room.

"Ducks?" Paul asked, with a shocked expression.

"Yeah. Baby ducks imprint on their mothers – it's the bond they have," Rachel explained. Paul looked at her like she was crazy because she knew that. "Hey – I'm gonna be a school teacher. I know dumb stuff that elementary kids love to know." She stuck her tongue out at Paul who rolled his eyes amusedly at her childish actions. When he was not angry at her, he was amused with her and always smiling for her.

"The basic idea of a bond is the same and the strength of the bond is similar. Everything else is completely different. It is a magic that allows wolves to find their soul mates – the person that makes them complete and will allow them to continue on the Quileute bloodline."

"Soul mates? Like true love and that kinda crap?" Rachel had given up on that years ago. She had seen what _love_ had done to her sister – turned into a pathetic mush who moved half way across the planet to be with a dweeby surfer she had only known for a few weeks. Ridiculous!

"Not exactly. It is more like the whole world now centers on this person and all you care about is their happiness and what they need and want," Paul explained sappily.

"And I take it you both have imprinted?" Rachel asked with a roll of the eyes. So now she was doomed to want to make someone happy and not have a choice in the matter? This was not looking like any fun at all.

Sam nodded contently, and Paul grinned at her.

"Congrats to you both then," she told them sarcastically. "So, basically you're warning me that this will happen to me and I won't have a choice?"

"Not exactly," Sam answered. "It is not something that happens on the first person you come across; rather, there is a certain person out there for you, who would be great for you normally. But with the imprinting magic, we can find this person much easier. I believe that imprinting only makes us stronger to fight our enemies and emboldens us to protect those we love because of the strength of our love for the imprints."

"Oh. That sounds exciting. But what does it matter now? Isn't this just something we could deal with later?" Rachel asked before continuing, "After I've gone through the whole change thing."

"That's just it. You are an imprint."

"Me? An imprint? Leah said I would change into a wolf – that was why she told me about the wolf pack," she said excitedly. She rang her hands nervously. What in the world was going on? Was she a wolf or an imprint?

"You are going to change into a wolf soon, but apparently you are also an imprint. I did not think it was possible but you are living proof that it is."

Rachel sat there in a daze. She was beginning to think she had lost all of her marbles. Maybe she was in a dream. She pinched herself hard on the inside of her wrist and then yelped at the pain. Paul was immediately at her side cradling her pinched wrist in his hands tenderly. He rubbed it carefully to eliminate the indentation and watched Rachel's expression change from pain to confusion to realization.

"You? You imprinted on me that day on the beach?" Rachel questioned looking into the dark eyes that had a knack for holding her captive in their depths.

"Yes."

"That's why you went from being so obnoxious to staring at me like I was some long lost friend or something."

"Yeah," he breathed. "Sorry about my behavior before that – didn't mean to be such a pain." Paul reached out to brush a rogue strand of hair away from her forehead back into the rest of her hair. He leaned closer to her without realizing it.

At this, Rachel jumped away from him and into the central part of the living room. It was rather impressive for a human, and the two older men in the room recognized it for what it was. Her inhuman abilities were beginning to show. Sam and Billy shared a look understanding Rachel's change would be coming soon while Paul focused purely on Rachel.

"Rachel, I'm sorry. It's hard sometimes to control myself around you. I just want to make you happy."

"Happy? Do I look happy about all of this? I find out that I'm going to change into a wolf, there are vampires on my back door step, and one of my _little_ brother's friends is the guy I'm destined to be with forever. How would you feel?" she yelled irritated for reasons she did not understand. She was just angry.

"I've been there. I've gone through all of this. And I'll tell you that it wasn't easy with it only being me, Sam, and Jared. So, cut the crap. It ain't easy, but get used to it," he told her firmly with an angry overtone.

Rachel opened her mouth to yell back but instead fled to her room. It was too much. She had plans for her life. She was going to go back to Seattle in the fall and finish her classes. Then she was going to student teach for a semester and then go find a job as a teacher. Then she was gonna start building herself a nice life to pay off her loans and buy herself nice things. And along the way if she found love, great; if not, that was great to.

But now … everything changed. None of this could happen. She was tied to Paul now in addition to being tied to the tribe.

Rachel's next thoughts were about how strong an imprint was. Could it be broken? Could she escape it?

Something in the back of her mind, in the bottom of her soul said no. She would give into this imprinting magic eventually. It was just a matter of time. And she had no choice. At this Rachel began to sob into the stuffed bear Sarah had given her as a child. Why was life so cruel? Why was she always the one to suffer? "Why me?" she kept asking herself as she cried herself to sleep.

* * *

I know the secret place and the vase stuff was kind of cheesy but I wanted the two of them to have something special that was just them. And honestly, little girls come up with silly things and I have friends who maintain stuff like that until their older as a common ground typo deal. Just thought it might add a fluffy new thing to the story.

It is also important to their relationship as friends. They would never betray their secret place to anyone else. Not even Rebecca knew about it. It just shows how close of friends Rachel and Leah are, and how much they have in common. ; )

And I do, by the way, eat cucumbers with peanut butter. It's totally awesome. Hahaha!

Hope you all like it – and as always, review help me write faster and blow off my homework. :D Hahaha! Love you guys!


	4. You're Not Kidding

I still don't own Rachel, Paul, the wolves, or anything Twilight – Stephenie does. Reading BD right now – miserable Jake and then happy Jake. Amie es muy, muy happy!

* * *

APPARENTLY YOU'RE NOT KIDDING

* * *

Rachel woke up the next morning hours later to the quiet sound of the clock ticking on her bedside table. It was 10 in the morning. She lay there for a minute thinking about the terrible nightmare she had just awoken from. The ancient Quileute stories about their people becoming wolves and fighting evil vampires and how her brother and his friends were these wolves now fighting their vampire neighbors. Thank goodness it was only a dream … WAIT! No it wasn't!

Rachel groaned and rolled over so her face was in her pillow. She screamed and began to cry again. This could not be happening to her. Why? Did someone find it funny to make her life miserable? First wolves and vampires, and now her little brother's friend was her _soul mate_. Ridiculous!

"Rachel honey, I know you're up. Please come out as soon as you can. We need to talk," Billy called from just outside her room.

She immediately hopped off the bed and swung her bedroom door open violently. "What do we have to talk about?" she screeched. "There isn't anything else to talk about. I'm gonna turn into a wolf, marry my little brother's friend against my will, and hope these freaky vampires behave themselves." Rachel slammed the door in her father's face and walked back over to her bed. She sat there for a second before deciding she needed to go for a run.

Rachel rushed passed Billy in the hallway and out the front door. She felt like she was drowning or stifling, she wasn't sure. Either way, she had to get out of that house. She needed some freedom.

As soon as her feet hit solid ground, she began running. She should have stretched but at this moment she did not care. She simply needed to feel the wind blowing through her loose hair. Her muscles quickly fell into a smooth pattern of movement. Within a few minutes, Rachel found herself at First Beach.

She almost could not stand to be here. All it did was remind her of when _Paul_ had run into her and ruined her life. The thought made her angry and this angry shifted into the tears that began to roll down her cheeks. She stopped involuntarily when she reached the log that the two of them had sat on during their first conversation and when Paul apparently imprinted on her. It made her even angrier – these feelings were just brimming up and Rachel felt like they were going to swallow her whole. The anger was so irrational and primal that it confused Rachel, but she could not control it. She had never been this angry – never. It frightened her to death but she could not fight it either.

Rachel continued running hoping her suffering would end simply with feeling the wind whip her dark hair around her face but her thoughts continued to betray her by focusing on everything she had learned this yesterday afternoon. Life had been so simple twelve hours ago and now it was more complicated then Rachel ever thought it could be. And she hated complexity – especially in her life.

Her anger did not diminish in the slightest but continued to grow until Rachel felt she was beginning to come apart at the seams. She felt like she was going to overflow and blow up all in the same instant. And then there was fire burning her spine as her body manipulated itself. Rachel wanted to scream in agony as the pain she felt pulled her apart but nothing came out of her mouth.

When it finally did, all she heard was a howl. She quickly looked around and caught a glimpse of a bushy tail behind her. Oh no… This is not actually happening. She looked down at the ground and saw a set of cream colored paws. No way… Rachel tried to speak but nothing came out of her mouth except a low whine. Her anger melted away into a panicky fear that, if she were human, would have had dissolved her into heart-wrenching sobs.

Then she realized she heard a voice in her head. _Who's there?_ Rachel asked in the same manner looking around to find the source of the voice. She looked around and caught a glimpse of a tail. There was another animal nearby. Uh-oh. She desperately sniffed the air hoping to figure out how to defend herself.

A large gray wolf came walking up to her._ Rachel, it's me_, Paul told her. He was huge – much larger than her._ You're okay. Just breathe, Sweetie._

_Don't call me that_, Rachel huffed back at him, her anger coming to the front again. She breathed in deeply before asking sarcastically, _So, I'm a wolf now?_

Wolf Paul nodded his big head. Rachel glared at him with a quick _What do you want anyways?_

_Just wanna help you change back. Although, you might wanna wait til we can get you some clothes from your dad's place, _Paul told her.

_Unless of course being butt naked doesn't bother you,_ came another voice.

_Shut up, Jared_, Paul growled at his friend even though he was nowhere to be seen. Rachel was instantly confused by this. She realized in that instant that could hear everything the other two were thinking. And it was totally creepy. Then, she also realized she knew everything about these two and how they felt about everything in their lives. It was TOTALLY creepy now.

Rachel could see Jared's life flash through her head. His child hood. His friends. Meeting Paul for the first time in kindergarten. His junior high years. His high school years. His first transformation. His imprint, Kim.

And Paul. Everything with him, too, but seemingly more shallow. That is up until now. It was almost like Jared's depth.

Granted neither had a great deal of depth…

_Hey_, the boys interrupted her thoughts.

_Watch the thoughts_, Jared exclaimed while Paul just kept quiet. _I do have depth – just ask Kimber. _Rachel knew he meant to continue but a new kind voice interrupted Jared.

_I'd say you're handling this pretty well. You haven't eaten anybody and you're not totally freaking out_, came the kind voice. Rachel looked around to find the wolf but couldn't see anyone just like she could not see Jared. _It's alright, Rach. It's Embry, and Quil is around here somewhere, too. Sam should be here in a sec._ She immediately heard her younger brother's other best friend join the garbled conversation or thoughts from the other three guys.

_I'm here_, Sam told the group of voices in Rachel's head. She looked around again to see if she could locate Sam, Jared, Embry, and Quil, but could not see anyone as she heard the other four converse with Paul. They all saw Rachel's building question and understood her confusion.

_When we are in this form, we can hear one another in our minds and feel one another's feelings. It allows us to work more effectively as a pack,_ Sam explained.

_That also means we have absolutely no secrets from one another_, someone else explained. Rachel could not place which one of the guys it came from. Too many voices and they were all beginning to blend into one voice – that is except for Paul's. It definitely was not easy to handle all of this and it was becoming somewhat overwhelming.

_Focus on the pack's mind, Rachel. You should be able to see where we are._ She immediately understood and followed her Alpha's instruction and could see a small house in the woods. She could pick out a woman on the porch of the house watching the other wolves. Rachel could not see her clearly but knew that it was Emily waiting for them to come back to the house. She watched Emily go back into the house after waving good bye to Sam. Rachel then felt Sam begin to move while the others stayed where they were.

_Jared, Embry, Quil – please change back and give us some privacy. And make sure the others know not to phase_, he addressed the other three as he ran through the forest to meet up with Paul and Rachel who he instructed to stay put. He did not want to put Rachel through anything more than necessary right now.

The other voices that kept going on about muffins at Emily's gradually disappeared as they changed back to their human form. Her mind was silent except for her thoughts and Paul's. Rachel had not realized how close Paul had gotten to her. He was standing a few inches away from her and gently nudged his muzzled into her shoulder comfortingly to relieve the fears at the back of her mind. Rachel growled lowly at him to back off. She wanted comfort but right now, he was the last person - wolf, uh, being that she wanted comfort from.

This imprinting crap was still totally sketchy in her book; although, she did understand it much better now – especially from his perspective, Jared's, and Sam's.

Paul backed away reluctantly from the smaller wolf at her demand. He turned and began walking towards her house. As he did so, Rachel felt a sudden emptiness that increased the more the distance between increased. She whimpered quietly from where she stood, both in fear of the emptiness she felt and fear of all that had transpired in the last few minutes.

_I'm sorry. I'll try to control myself_, Paul told her. _I don't try to make you feel this way – I guess I just have a knack for doing it to you._ His feelings became somewhat downtrodden, and Rachel felt bad for how she acted. But this magic frightened her – she wanted her choices and so many had just been taken away from her. _I understand, Rach. Don't worry about it_, he quickly reassured her as their Alpha joined them in their spot in the forest.

_I have a few concerns I want to address with you both. Rachel, I believe you now understand the power of the imprint_, Sam told her, referring to the feelings she, and Sam and Paul subsequently, had felt. _I kind of figured you might imprint when you shifted, but I'm not sure if you even can imprint. Leah has not up to this point imprinted, and we simply don't know if it is possible if females can._

_But if you can, I'm concerned about the possibility of you imprinting on someone else. I'm not sure what will happen if it comes to this. I just wanted you both to be aware of this possibility. I do not want to see either of you hurt_. Paul nodded at Sam understandingly while Rachel stared at Sam with a shocked expression. She had not even thought about imprinting on someone else. So, she could very well find herself imprinting on someone other than Paul? How complicated could her life get?

_On another note, I know you've been concerned about Jake. And just so you know, Jacob has decided to stay in wolf form. He avoids thinking toward us and focuses on taking on the animal instincts entirely_.

Rachel took in a swift, deep breath as she heard a voice a new voice in the back of her mind that was difficult to hear unless you listened for it, but it was most definitely there. It was rather confusing but she could feel the anger and agony flowing off of this person. _Was that him?_

Sam nodded before continuing, _He is in a great deal of pain and wants to be left alone. We leave him be as best we can_.

Rachel nodded her understanding while stifling her pain from her brother's grief. She cried out softly at the feeling. She felt Paul immediately at her side again but ignored it this time enjoying the comfort minimally.

_Alright – that's enough for now. I'd like you both to come over to Emily's this afternoon so we can all discuss how we want to integrate you into the pack, Rachel. If you can relax enough, you will be able to change back to human form. Do you think you can do that?_

Rachel stood silently for a moment before 'hearing' how he and Paul handled their first change back to human form. Sam had taken weeks to chill out again because he had no one to help him and Paul just could not relax because of his temper. Rachel knew she was not nearly as angry or as prone to anger as either of them were normally. Based on that and understanding how the others changed back, she replied in the affirmative. She figured she could handle it – how hard could it possibly be?

_Paul, please take Rachel home and help her out. I need to get home and help Emily with some stuff around the house._ Sam's mind immediately became happier at the thought of being with Emily. It almost sickened Rachel with how whipped it made him sound. The big black wolf took off in the direction he had originally come in. Within a few minutes, his quiet thoughts had disappeared altogether.

Paul nudged Rachel again with his muzzle. Like before, she growled lowly and he backed off.

_C'mon, Rach. It's alright. And I'll try to control myself, _Paul told her stopping and looking back at her. He motioned for her to follow with a swing of his head back toward the house. Rachel slowly inched forward until she was standing next to the much larger silver wolf. She looked up at him sheepishly before following him back to her house since she had lost her way when she had been running earlier.

Rachel noticed as she walked that her senses were heightened. She could not sort through all the smells or sounds, but Paul reassured her that she would soon enough with practice.

When they saw the house in the clearing, they both stopped at the same moment as a singular mind. Paul ran off behind a tree and shifted back.

"Rachel, I'm gonna run inside and grab some clothes for ya. I'll be right back, 'kay?" She groaned at the thought of him rummaging through her clothes. How embarrassing could it get? "Don't worry, I'll have your dad do it if it'll make ya feel better," he commented noting her moan. Uncanny how he knew what she needed…

Rachel nodded and watched him run off into the house. He came back a few minutes later with a pile of clothes for her. He set it down in front of her.

"So, I guess you saw how we change back. Just relax, focus on changing back, and let it take you no matter how uncomfortable it might feel." Paul stood there for a moment before he noticed Rachel's look. "Oh right. I'll just go over there." He motioned to a stand of trees where he would not be able to see her.

Rachel focused on changing and the advice she had been given and quickly felt her bones reform themselves into her human self. She felt the shimmer of her cream colored fur disappear and change back into her bronze skin. Once she had fully changed, Rachel quickly gathered her clothes up and began pulling them on. She called to Paul when she was finished.

"Alrighty. Well, I guess I'll just head out."

Rachel looked up at him as he walked out of the stand of trees. She gasped as she felt a pull towards the young man in front of her. All of sudden, the world was changing for her as she looked into his dark eyes. Nothing in her life mattered anymore. She could care less about finishing school or going back to Seattle. All that mattered was the man standing half-naked in front of her. He was her world now. Her life.

Rachel could not tear her eyes away from him. It felt almost like she was instantaneously addicted to the man in front of her. She realized in that second that Paul Meskas had changed from her brother's friend, the boy, to her imprint, the man. Whoa, baby!

She realized just how perfect he was. He was beautiful in so many ways. She loved the way his muscles had moved smoothly and gracefully in both human and wolf forms. His fur was so rugged and she wanted to just bury her face in it. But at the same time, his human self was just as good looking and she would give anything to have those warm arms holding her close to him. Neither form was better than the other in Rachel's opinion – especially since she had both forms as well.

But most of all, she loved his dark eyes. When she had first met him, she felt they were just as masked as the rest of his body language. The more time she had spent with him, though, she realized that if you looked close enough or knew him well enough, you could see the inner workings of Paul Meskas. Or maybe it was just her who could see his soul. Maybe she could only see the soft side buried deep beneath the temperamental surface he had developed and expanded because of his wolf nature. She could just get lost in those eyes forever. It would be so comforting to just…

She involuntarily moved closer to him as she ran Paul through her thoughts noticing everything about him. There were only inches between them, and this distance was closing as Rachel stood on her tip toes to get closer. Maybe just one kiss, just one, short and sweet… All of a sudden, the world came to a halt. Rachel noticed what she was about to do, how close she was to him, and she jumped back away from him and wrenched her eyes away in embarrassment. What was she doing?

Paul grinned at her, enjoying the scrutiny he had just been under within her intense gaze. "So, I guess we don't have to worry about you imprinting on anybody else."

"Yeah – guess so," she answered timidly before turning and walking quickly back the house. With every step she took, though, her body began to pain and hurt. It eased as she heard the ever quiet footsteps, that she had been unable to hear only days ago, behind her, following her back to the house. This quiet sound comforted her.

"We should talk," Paul said as he stood at the foot of the patio steps while she stood at the top by the door.

"I suppose so. Uh, do you wanna come in?" Rachel asked with a slight blush.

"Sure." He grinned brightly at her, pleased that he could finally spend some time with this beautiful woman without being eaten alive by her.

They walked through the front door to find Billy sitting in his easy chair watching the Black's pathetic excuse for a TV. The TV displayed some kind of show on the fishing channel. Billy looked up confused that Rachel was bringing Paul in with her. She hated him, didn't she?

"What's going on? New update?"

"Yeah. About that, Dad – I, uh, shifted about a half hour ago. So, yeah. Crazy, crazy," Rachel said hesitantly, stumbling over her words. She grabbed Paul's hand and pulled him through the living room and down the hall before Billy could continue to question her and inevitably begin questioning Paul. Paul gaped after her. Apparently physical touch was now okay, too.

Once they were safely away from her father in Rachel's bedroom, they both sighed. "So," they both began. Paul motioned for Rachel to go ahead.

"Look – I'm really sorry about everything and how I've treated you. It was inexcusable."

"It's totally fine. I was a little overzealous, I think, with my belief I could win you over. I was so sure you would just go with it. Kim already had a crush on Jared when Jared imprinted on her and Emily and Claire both just went with it. So, _I'm _sorry I automatically assumed you'd just be fine with all this funky stuff."

"So, now you think I'm a freak?" Rachel immediately interpreted with the raise of an eyebrow.

"No, no, no," Paul said slowly with wide eyes. He was trying so desperately to do right by the woman in front of him, but all he ever seemed to do was make her angry with him. "I kind of just expected it to be easier…"

"So, I'm not easy? Easy how?" Rachel glowered at him again with implication.

"No, that's not what I mean. Would you mind letting me finish first?" Paul huffed with annoyance.

"Sure. Sorry," she answered without much resolve behind it.

"So, what I mean is that I guess I thought you might just roll over and play dead with the imprint." Rachel opened her mouth to interrupt him again, but Paul held his hands up to get her to wait. "You're too strong to just roll over. You won't just let people run you over and make you do stuff if you don't want to. And I really, really lo-like that about you." He stopped for a moment and Rachel just looked at him. "I'm done."

"Yeah. Okay. That was kind of a backhanded compliment. You aren't great with words are you?" she asked with a sly half grin that was almost, daresay, flirtatious.

"You could say that. I'm more used to being the angry guy who makes everybody else mad. It's almost easier cause then I don't have to deal with stuff. But I don't wanna do that with you. I wanna try to do the right thing. What I feel for you is just too perfect…" he trailed off, calculating her reaction carefully. He had made some progress in the last half hour and he did not want to lose that ground he now held with Rachel.

"I know. It's a little overwhelming, in fact." She smiled at Paul gently but tentatively. "Actually, it's kind of frightening. I'm kind of afraid to get close to people. Mom died when I was in elementary school, and Becks moved to Hawaii with that bimbo she married."

"I'm not going anywhere, Rach," Paul told her solemnly from where he sat across from her on the other end of her bed. "Promise."

"I know that. I know you can't, but I'm afraid of getting hurt. I don't know if I should tell you this or not." Rachel shifted her eyes and stared off into space for a moment, contemplating whether or not she should tell this to Paul. She took a deep breath, looked at Paul, and began her story.

"When I went away to college, I was so relieved to be away from La Push. I felt it was boring, stifling, and the same as always. My dad was an elder then, too, and so I had a reputation to maintain. Rebecca was so popular in high school, and I was always in her shadow. She had her huge circle of friends while I had my best friend, Leah. And don't get me wrong, I love that girl to pieces, but it's hard when everybody in our small high school only knows you as Rebecca Black's twin sister. It's hard to live in everybody's shadows."

"So, when I went to school, I was so excited. Neither of them would be there nor would anyone care who Billy Black was or Becks. I had so much fun my freshman year. I had great friends and met lots of cool people. I could just be me." She stopped for a moment and looked away before taking another deep breath.

"One of those people was this awesome guy, Jason Harper. He was a sophomore, popular, and so perfect. Everyone liked him, and he liked everybody. And he picked me to get close to. So, we started dating and it was great. He made me feel like I was important – like I was somebody. I wasn't just Billy Black's daughter or Becca's twin – I was simply Rachel Black who was also Jason's girlfriend. It was amazing." Rachel stopped again and sniffled. Paul moved closer to make sure she was alright. His posture, Rachel noted before she began again, was very tense, almost to the point where she thought he would tip over if she tapped him.

"It was great for quite awhile," she began. "At least, it was until my junior year I think. Might have been sooner, but I really noticed it by then at the latest. Anyways, Jason and I were pretty serious – or at least I thought we were. I began to notice he was busy all the time and distant. I started to put two and two together that maybe we were not nearly as perfect as I had thought. We had our fights but otherwise we got along great. Well, the week before finals, I found Jason in _my_ dorm room with _my_ _closest_ college friend having sex on _my _bed."

"I always knew it annoyed him that I would not sleep with him, but he said he understood my position and would not pressure me. I found out from one of my other friends that this was something Jason had started shortly after we first started dating. I broke up with him before he even had a chance to respond to my yelling." By now, tears streamed down Rachel's face. She was so caught up in telling her story and reliving the pain that she did not notice Paul stand and start pacing.

"I did terrible in all my finals that semester. It was so bad that I almost came home to Dad, but I didn't because of how much worse all the memories would have made the pain. And what really hurt was not just that my _perfect_ boyfriend was sleeping around behind my back, but all my so-called friends knew but did not tell me. After that I did not trust anyone for a long time. I eventually found some new, genuine friends, but even so… It is still hard for me to trust people," Rachel finished.

She looked up through her bleary vision and noticed Paul pacing angrily. He then stopped, and Rachel could see his entire body trembling violently. She took a deep breath at the sight of his tremors and immediately jumped to her feet. Rachel could see the anger in his eyes that flooded the rest of his body. She walked up in front of him and just stood there looking up into his furious gaze.

"You're angry with me again, aren't you?" Rachel asked as another tear slipped down her cheek.

Paul gaped at her as she started to apologize, stuttering as she went. He cut her off by pulling her roughly to him and holding her tightly to his bare chest. His trembling ceased as soon as Rachel was in his arms. "No," he told her firmly, the anger flowing out of his voice. "I'm not angry with you. I'm angry at the little twit who could hurt you like this – who could do that to you. It just pisses me off." He growled under his breath. His hold on her tightened with the growl but not so that it hurt her. Rachel felt so safe in his arms at that moment. No one could hurt her or her heart if Paul was there to protect her.

"I will never ever do that to you. I can't do that to you." Paul pushed her gently away far enough so he could gently brush the tears away from her cheeks. "You're too special – too important. He didn't know what he had. He did not realize just how precious you are. And I will never pressure you to do anything for me. I would rather wait forever than cause you any pain."

Rachel swallowed a couple of times and took a few shaky breaths as she let what he said sink in. He was already so devoted to her, and it scared her. She was pulled from her thoughts when she felt his warm breath on her face and trailing lower. Paul gently put his lips on hers and kissed her softly and reverently. She stood there for a moment and began to respond to his kiss, moving her lips softly and tentatively with his.

Rachel realized herself then and pulled away abruptly. Her face was frightened again. Paul stood back and pulled his gaze away from her. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that."

"No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm so afraid of this." Rachel waved her hand around exaggeratedly. "I'm sorry you're stuck with an imprint who's afraid of creating a relationship – of being close to you. I'm sorry for everything." Tears began to fall down her cheeks again.

"It's not your fault. I need to take it slower, and I will – if you want to try something that is?"

"Of course, I do. That's what you want, isn't it?" Rachel asked. It was funny how she cared about what he wanted now, too.

"Yeah, but if you don't…"

"Stop, Paul. I want it. We just need to take it slow. I just need you to help me get through this pain and fear," she told him.

"Okay. I won't kiss you again until you ask. I'll just hang around and be your friend for now. So, it's up to you to tell me when you're ready to move forward. Deal?" Paul smiled a half smile at her and held his hand out.

"'Kay. Thanks." She smiled up at him with sad eyes. He held his arms open for her again, and she walked straight into the comforting embrace. They stood there for several minutes before hearing the front door slam. They both looked toward Rachel's bedroom door and heard heavy footsteps pounding down the hallway. The footsteps stopped outside her door and Rachel's door was slammed open.

"WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON HERE?"

* * *

And there she blows – Rachel be a wolfie now. Hahaha! And let me tell you, I love writing this story. It's like reading it except I can 'read' it anytime I want, and I don't have to wait for somebody else. LOL!

As always, please, please review. They are much appreciated and loved. Hugs to all of my fabulous, wonderful readers, especially you reviewers! You guys are so awesome and encouraging!


	5. The New Pack

I still don't own Rachel, Paul, the wolves, or anything Twilight – Stephenie does. We have Twilight on DVD, New Moon coming out, Eclipse coming soon – what about Breaking Dawn? Is it coming?

* * *

THE WHOLE NEW PACK

* * *

Rachel gaped at the imposing figure with wide eyes, shocked at how huge he was now. She had thought the other guys were huge, but he was monstrous – and furious.

Paul noticed Rachel's shell shocked expression at the sight of her younger brother. He acted almost instantaneously after seeing the huge boy in front of him. Paul shifted Rachel out of his arms and behind him in on swift, fluid movement. He stood protectively in front of her in case the kid did something stupid – which he might as crazy as he was.

Jake glowered at the couple and moved to grab his sister from his pack mate's arms. However, Paul was faster at moving Rachel moving behind him. Paul then growled deeply, lowly, menacingly.

Jake could feel the fire in his spine trying furiously to manipulate his body. He took a deep breath and repeated himself. "What the heck is going on here?" His voice was quieter but deeper and more menacing than before.

Rachel was pulled out of her frightened state at her brother's voice. She tried to move around Paul's body, but her imprint matched her movements maintaining his protective stance in front of her. "Paul, it's okay," she gently told him, almost whispering it to him. Paul could hear the fear in her voice and began to tremble. His trembling stopped almost as soon as it started when she placed her hand tentatively on his upper left arm. She gently massaged his arm to help him to continue to relax. He glanced back at her to make sure she was okay, and she nodded at him with a small smile. Paul moved nervously out of his imprint's way but stood behind her protectively with one arm wrapped around her much smaller body.

"I said…"

"Jake, I heard you the first time," Rachel told her brother angrily. She glared at him fiercely. "I suppose you know, then?"

"Yup. The ladies-man of the pack imprinted on my sister. Isn't that just wonderful?" Jake sneered, his facial features narrow and angry.

"Oh is that all you know? Huh? But it isn't. There's more," she huffed. Jake took a step back as his sister took two steps forward away from Paul and poked him in the chest. He knew she could not hurt him but nevertheless she could be quite intimidating when she wanted to be. She grinned with a narrowing of her eyes at his step back. "I'm a wolf."

"What?" Jacob yelled and jumped almost hitting his head on the ceiling – thank goodness it was a light jump.

"Yes, _Jacob_ – your dear sister is a big bad wolf just like you." She stared pointedly at him with an expression clearly showing him that he needed to back off.

"But you shouldn't have shifted. You weren't supposed to," he blanched at his sister with an open mouth.

"Well, apparently I was supposed to, dodo bird. Cause here I am."

Jake stared at her like she was losing her marbles. He shook his head confusedly before asking, "But how could _he_," Jake glared over Rachel pointedly at Paul, "have imprinted on you if you're a wolf?"

"Whaddya mean?" Rachel's expression transformed to confusion.

"Well, because Sam thinks its purpose is a biological one."

"Biological?"

"Yeah. Female wolves don't change. It's similar to bloodsuckers. They can't change to have children so we figure it might be the same for wolves, too."

Rachel's face dropped dramatically. She had always been more of a working kind of girl but she did hope to have children someday when the time was right. Yet another dream dashed by this wolf crap. She took in a shaky breath, and Paul was immediately at her side. He glared dangerously at his imprint's brother to get his point across of shutting up before heads start falling. Paul then focused all his attention on the sad woman next to him.

"Rach, it's okay. Don't worry. It'll be fine and dandy," he stated half heartedly.

"No, no. It's fine. I mean why should I be surprised. I've lost pretty much everything in all of this so why not just take all the dreams," Rachel shrugged as nonchalantly as she could while trying to maintain her composure. Her lower lip rebelled and continued to quiver slightly. She bit it to stop the quivering and took a deep breath. She would not cry about this – not at all. Rachel had cried too much over all of this already. Paul felt at a loss for what to do for her – how much more could she take before she all out left him?

"Besides, Rach, we don't know that for a fact. So, let's not just give up or get all worked up about it." Jake reassured his sister. He hated making his sisters cry or hurt. He had always been protective of Rebecca and Rachel, but he had never been able to do much to that end when he was littler and younger. Now, he was bigger than just about everybody and would do whatever it took to take care of them – even right now, in his intense distress over Be-_her_.

"That's not all, though, Jakey. I also imprinted on Paul," she stated quietly, trying to keep her voice from shaking with the pain of not being able to have children. Better to get used to the worst than to have hope dashed even further.

"Wow." Jake leaned on the door jam and stared at his sister. "That's crazy."

"Yup, yup." She stood quietly staring at her feet before deciding to pick her mood up. Rachel knew Leah's personality had changed with her first shift – partly because of the crap with Sam – but Rachel would not fall into that pit of despair. She had always been a pretty happy-go-lucky gal and that would not change just because she could turn into a giant wolf at will. She was a pick up the mood type of person that could take a deep breath and bite the lip and be back to her normal perky person. At least that's who she'd try to be. Rachel pulled herself up to her full height, straightened out her back, put her shoulders back and asked, "Do I get a 'hi – how are ya' now?" Her voice was forcibly cheery, both men noted but smartly ignored.

"Sure, sure." Jake smiled down at his little older sister and pulled her into a hug. "It's been awhile. Was beginning to think you'd forgotten all about me and Dad."

"Dad and I," she corrected with a smile.

"Definitely destined for teacherhood," Jake joked. "Now why didn't you come back to see me?

"Just had stuff going on – like going to college, getting good grades, working, blah, blah, blah. But then somebody decided to leave and Dad wouldn't tell me a dang thing on the phone. So, I figured I'd just come home and yell 'atcha and beat ya. Figured you'd be smaller though," Rachel grinned up at Jake, sizing him up and then punching him lightly on the arm.

"Uh – I'd like to see you do that. Might be pretty painful to beat my 'big' sister up," Jake shoved her lightly back towards Paul, being very gentle. She stumbled back a bit, partly because she did not see it coming and partly because her giant brother did not know his own strength. Paul put his hands cautiously on her waist to balance her.

Jake watched her for a moment. She might be a wolf, but she looked so much like a china doll – fragile, feminine, and dainty. Rachel did not appear to have changed at all physically with the change. She looked physically the same – same muscle mass, same height, same everything. At least everything except her eyes. Jake could see the fire in her eyes that had not present prior to the change. Her eyes now held a certain animalistic, primitive quality that was not present in a normal human. Jake chuckled as he watched her.

"What?" Rachel grinned at him with a tilt of her head to the side. Paul still had his hands on her waist, and Jake glared pointedly at them. Paul saw Jake's glance and just watched his pack mate with a smirk. This imprinting crap was going to get old, Jake thought.

"Nothing. You just don't look any different. We all buffed up and grew a ton before we changed. You just shifted," Jake commented, trying to ignore Paul.

"Maybe it's cause we're just special – girly, ya know? Me an' Leah are just special – always have been, always will be," Rachel flipped a piece of her hair like a model might in a photoshoot. Her hair was long enough that when she flipped it, it fell over Paul's face. Paul wrinkled his face when Rachel's hair tickled his nose and the rest of his facial features.

"Yes – irritate him more, Rach. I'll help," Jake said excitedly, anything to get Paul riled. That would certainly help Jake's mood to improve even further – fights are good right now. Rachel rolled her eyes at Jake's response. Paul followed Rachel's lead and his eyes rolled as well.

"You touch a hair on his head, and I'll chase you down and eat you for dinner like a leech!" Once again Rachel pulled away from Paul. She stuck her tongue out at her brother and left the two men gaping at each other. Paul grinned brightly at his imprint's indirect claim to him and snickered at Jacob's glare. Paul's face gloated at this and Jake's glare darkened with Paul's expression.

Paul snuck quickly around Jake right behind Rachel. He could take Jake, but it would not make his Rachel happy so it would be better to just avoid him. Jake followed the other two into the kitchen.

"Hey Dad!" Rachel greeted her father who was still watching the fishing channel but a new show as on.

"Hi. Okay – you've told your long-lost brother – who has not even said hello yet – about what's going on, but I don't know yet. Do I get to know now?" Billy asked, looking pointedly at all three, particularly his son.

"Hey." Jake's face transformed into a blank slate. Bella Swan had seriously screwed her baby brother over. Rachel felt a fire in her body and felt her body begin to tremor. Okay – even minor anger could make her explode into a giant wolf – at least if it was felt with serious emotion, Rachel deduced.

"Calm down, Sweetheart," Billy told her simply. "It's alright."

Paul put a hand on her shoulder, and she instantly calmed. She smiled a thank you at him.

"Well, Daddy, I shifted, and I talked to Sam so we're," Rachel motioned to her pack mates, "going over to his place to talk about – uh – stuff, I guess."

"Okay – good. How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright. Just a little woohoo about all of this – it's pretty crazy."

"That it is, Baby Girl. Did he talk to you about the imprinting issue?"

"Yeah, but we don't really have to worry about that." Rachel looked down at her shoes like an ashamed child. Paul grinned brightly and moved closer to Rachel. Jake glared over at Paul and then grimaced at the glance he threw his sister.

"I take it you imprinted on Paul?" Billy asked, looking at his daughter and ignoring the boys.

"Yes," she whispered almost so quietly that Billy might not have known she spoke had he not seen her lips move.

"That's excellent. I'm so happy for you, Sweetheart – for you both." Billy now looked over to the young man who would one day be his daughter's husband and his son-in-law.

"You're gonna just go with this?" Jake burst out.

"Jacob, they are meant to be together. The ancestors…"

"Whatever," Jacob huffed, his body trembling. Instead of controlling it though, Jake headed for the front door. Within seconds, they could hear clothes rip as Jake shifted into his wolf form. Rachel immediately moved toward the door to follow her brother. She knew he was in pain and struggling with stuff, and she understood he had stuff to work through. Even so, it still bothered her that he had left like that. Paul grasped her wrist gently and pulled her back into the center of the living room.

"He'll be back," Billy told her. "When Jacob first got back, Sam called to let me know he was on his way over, and that Jacob would be staying – at least long enough for Bella's wedding to the, uh, Cullen, uh, boy."

Rachel sighed. She just did not want to see him running off in his wolf form and avoiding life. It was not healthy – even for someone of their strange species. "Can't we talk to him or something? Why does it bother him so much?"

"Not really. He already understands the whole concept," Paul mumbled annoyed with how Jake was bothering his sister.

"Sweetheart, he wants so badly to imprint on Bella, but he just can't. And he's seen what has gone wrong with imprinting." The three looked at one another knowingly. "He needs time to heal and prepare for the wedding."

"Prepare for the wedding?"

"Yeah. He would like to see Bella once more before she is changed," Billy explained quietly. Rachel could see he felt terrible for everything going on in the life of his youngest child and he wished so badly he could do something about it.

"Oh, Daddy," Rachel cried softly as she rushed over to his chair, knelt down, and buried her face in his shoulder. It had been so long since she had let her father comfort her, and at the moment, no one would do except Billy.

He had never been the most affectionate person, and after Sarah died, the affection almost completely disappeared. Now, though, with all that had transpired with Jacob and now Rachel, he would do anything to gain that back. And right now, holding his younger daughter was exactly what he wanted and exactly what she needed.

"Rachie, Rachie, Rachie. It's okay, honey bunny. It really is." Billy stroked her gently and rocked her as best he could from his chair. "Jake will be fine. He's gone through so much for someone so young, but he is strong. Stronger than anyone ever estimates, I think." Rachel continued to cry quietly into her father's shoulder, but her shoulders had at least quit shaking.

"He loves so deeply and strongly. And right now that wonderful quality in your brother is hurting him the most. Combined with the fact that the girl he loves is marrying his arch-enemy and that his sister is a wolf and has imprinted on and has been imprinted on by someone he does not particularly like is very difficult for him. He wants everyone else to be alright while he has to deal with this situation with Bella, and you know how he is. Jacob has always thought he has to be the one to save those he loves."

"So, basically you just in a very complicated, convoluted manner that he would not have handled this well on a normal day?" Rachel pulled away from Billy's shoulder to gauge his expression.

"No, I don't think so." He shook his head sadly and continued to stroke Rachel's hair as she leant back into his shoulder. "Paul has a knack for irritating your brother." Rachel began to shake again, and Billy began rubbing her back. She pulled away from her father and Billy was surprised to see her laughing. Wow – her emotions were so roller coaster-ish.

"What?" Billy asked.

Rachel looked back fondly at her imprinter and giggled again. "He does have a bit of a temper, huh?" She glanced back at her father again. "I'm not surprised he and Jake rub each other wrong."

"Hardy har har," Paul responded with an eye roll. "Just talk like I ain't here." He looked over at the clock on the mantel piece and added, "We probably oughta head over to Emily's now. It's about that time."

"Oh, okay." Rachel also glanced at the mantel piece. "He's probably right, Daddy. Will you be alright to make dinner? I could probably whip something up real quick."

"Nah. I'll be fine. Just go. You've got more responsibilities now. Don't worry about your old man." Billy smiled and began waving his hands in a way shooing way.

"Okay. Well, I'll be home a little later, I guess." She pecked her father on the cheek real quick before following Paul out the front door and off to learn more about her crazy, psychotic new life.

"So, wanna run over?" Paul asked with a wink as they reached the bottom of the front porch steps.

"Honestly – I'd rather take the car. I'm still not quite sure about all of this." Rachel ran her hand nervously through her hair. "But we can run if you'd rather."

"Nah. It's okay. Probably better to avoid the guys til we get to Emily's." Paul headed over to the white Volvo. "So, it's a station wagon for ya?"

"Yup. The only thing I could afford – and was in decent shape," Rachel explained and laughed.

Paul stood by the driver's side waiting for her to catch up with him. He held his hand out and asked, "Want me to drive?"

"Sure – as long as you promise to be good to my baby."

"Baby?" Paul responded skeptically taking Rachel's keys from her. He muttered under his breath something Rachel thought was not too nice about her car and got in. Rachel began rolling down her window when she got in to take advantage of the lack of rain in the air. Paul followed suit.

"Don't have air conditioning?"

"Doesn't," she correct, earning an exaggerated eyebrow raise from Paul. "And well, it should. It just needs to get recharged, and until I can actually justify spending the money on it and getting it done, it's stuck as it is."

Paul nodded with a chuckle – she was definitely the more practical type – and took off down the driveway to the main road. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Paul reached for the radio. He started messing with the controls and began to get frustrated when nothing happened.

"What's wrong with the radio?" he growled.

"Dunno. It hasn't worked almost the whole time I've had the car. Worked for about a week my sophomore year and then died again."

Paul groaned before offering to take a look at it.

"You work on cars?"

"Kind of – more of a jack of all trades and a master of nothing. Although, I'm better with construction than cars."

"Well, I'll have to keep that in mind," she commented before staring back out the window.

Again the car was drenched in silence, and it stayed that way until they arrived at Emily's. When they arrived, they were greeted warmly by Emily.

"Welcome to my home, Rachel." She was greeted immediately by the top wolf girl in a warm embrace.

"Thank you, Emily. It means a lot to me." Rachel smiled kindly at her, realizing that the kind girl she had known years ago was still very much present. If anything, she was even kinder than before. Rachel knew about the scars before she arrived and they honestly did nothing to damper her beauty – the imprint was stronger than that. Emily gently pushed Rachel into the room.

"Hey everybody." Rachel looked around at all the bare chested guys sitting around her. There were a few pack members sitting around the room when they arrived – Quil, Embry, and a few others Rachel did not recognize. She wandered over to the only open chair while Paul following behind her. He sat down in front of her and leaned back against her legs which she did not oppose.

They all greeted her right back while Emily brought out a plate of cookies from the kitchen. Embry's hand immediately went for the cookies but Emily smacked him before he could even touch one. "Be a gentleman – let your sister go first." She grinned at him and Embry smiled back sheepishly, pulling his hand back. Emily offered the plate to Rachel. "Cookies?"

"Sure – thanks." Rachel took a cookie and the plate before passing it on to Paul. Rachel sat in silence and munched tiny bites off her cookie while the guys jabbered.

After a few minutes, she heard sounds from outside and then voices. Sam, Jared, and Jake came in the door.

Emily lit up at the sight of Sam as did Sam. It was rather remarkable to see the change when the imprintee and the imprinter came together. Rachel shook her head at the observation. The three newcomers grabbed cookies and found themselves a place to plant themselves. Jake was still somewhat miffed about she and Paul, that much was obvious by his standing right next to his sister hoping to move Paul away from her. Paul simply snuggled in closer to Rachel's legs.

"Welcome to our newest pack member," Sam nodded toward Rachel who blushed furiously when all the eyes in the room moved to her. Paul rubbed her ankle comfortingly when he turned his head towards her. He smiled at her encouragingly "Rachel, I think you probably know of these guys. This is Collin Lucas, Brady Elliot, and Seth Clearwater." He motioned to each one. Rachel gaped at them. These were boys she had known when they were in grade school and she was in junior high and high school – especially Seth. He was like another annoying little brother. Good grief – things had changed.

"Well let's get to it then. As you all know, Bella Swan will be getting married next week." Jake grabbed the back of Rachel's chair and squeezed his eyes shut tightly. Rachel threw her hand back and grabbed her younger brother's hand comfortingly. She glanced up at him and shot him a comforting smile and squeezing gently. He smiled tightly to her before focusing back on Sam. Sam looked sympathetically at Jake before continuing. "So, I'd like to increase patrolling as well as our numbers on patrol." Sam then went into the new schedule for who would be patrolling with who and when they would be patrolling. He pulled out a calendar type of deal and began marking it all down. Rachel would have to bring a planner next time they met to mark it all down. She would have to ask Sam about it again later. Oh well. He continued on with other pack business for the next twenty minutes or so.

"Well, that's all I've got for you all for today," Sam finished. Rachel blinked, overwhelmed by all that she had heard. She took a deep breath.

Paul stood and turned toward Rachel. "Sorry to ditch you, but I gotta head out on patrol. I'll see you later, kay?"

"Oh, okay," Rachel smiled and then looked down at the floor. Jake had already headed out the door and into the woods and Paul was her only other safety net here. He could see the insecurity on her face as she looked around at her pack brothers.

"Don't worry – you'll be fine. We're a family, Rach. We take care of each other, and these guys will love you," Paul told her in a quiet voice as he knelt down in front of her. "Besides, it'll be nice to have a girl around who isn't so crazy."

"Leah's not crazy," Rachel shot back, her head whipping up at his comment. Could they not see the pain she was going through?

"You haven't been on patrol with her. She might be able to pull of a normal routine in her human form, but in wolf form, let's just say she likes to torment us." Paul leant in to kiss her but thought better of it and gave her a quick kiss on her forehead before heading out the door, leaving her fuming. She would just have to talk to her best friend and find out what was going on. Maybe she just needed to talk to someone who was not a guy and was not Emily. She stood up and headed for the kitchen to help Emily.

"Hey Rachel. It's been a long time." Seth touched her arm and smiled brightly at her.

"Yes, it has, Seth-ely. And you certainly grew up." Rachel could not help but feel her anger dissipate entirely and a smile spread across her face. She used to get so annoyed with Seth's cheeriness and ability to make everyone else happy even when they did not want to be.

"Sure did. Don't worry about Lee. She's okay. She's just going through some stuff." He lowered his voice when talking about his sister.

"I don't know if I agree," she said before catching Sam glowering at her and then looking over at Emily and adding, "but let's not worry about that right now." Rachel walked toward the kitchen again and asked, "Want some help?"

"I've got it," Emily replied quietly.

"Are you sure? Cause these guys, I'm sure, are quite a handful." Rachel smiled at Emily.

"Well, I guess you can if you want to."

Rachel headed over to the sink and began rinsing off some dishes. "Look, I'm really sorry. I'll try not to talk about Lee or anything."

"No, it's alright. Don't worry about it." The two women continued to work in silence for several minutes.

"She got really hurt, and I feel terrible for it. I just wish she could understand that we did not want or mean to hurt her. Leah is like a sister to me," Emily explained quietly. The conversation around them was loud enough that no one could hear – even with wolf hearing – what they were talking about unless they focused on it.

"Yeah. I understand. And I'm sorry that I thought badly of you for it. It's just Lee is my best friend, and I hate to see her hurt like that," Rachel confessed.

"It's fine. I would feel the same way if I were in your shoes. Sometimes, I wish I were in someone else's shoes because I would not have hurt my closest friend. But at the same time, I wouldn't trade what I have for the world – selfish I know." A tear slipped down Emily's cheek. As much as she loved Sam, it still hurt her terribly at the huge cost that Leah had to pay so Emily could have that love. "These scars are nothing compared to the scars Leah has on her heart. I just wish I could make it all better for her."

Rachel set the dish in her hand down and turned towards Emily. "Oh, Em." The two women embraced one another as Emily began to cry. Rachel felt terrible for bringing this up with her and for how she had felt towards Emily regarding Leah. Both women were hurt in Sam's imprinting – Emily lost her sister and Leah lost her sister and her beloved boyfriend and high school sweetheart. Emily's sobs got louder and the guys turned toward the women. Sam immediately headed toward the kitchen to check on Emily.

The women separated when Sam got closer. Emily immediately went for Sam's open arms. Rachel sniffled a little and mumbling an apology to Sam before heading out the door. Sam simply nodded his understanding toward Rachel before focusing entirely on his imprint. Life was so complicated for normal people and now it was beyond normal.

Rachel got into the driver's seat of her car and sat there for a moment. She leaned her head onto her steering wheel and let the tears for flow for a moment.

It hurt to watch everyone she loved in pain like this. Jake was hurting because Bella was marrying the leech. Leah was hurting because Sam had to leave her. Emily hurt because she lost her closest friend and sudo-sister. Paul was hurting because Rachel was afraid to get close to him. He masked it well, but she knew he was hurting because of her.

She pulled her head away from the steering wheel and looked around through bleary eyes. Rachel took a deep breath and put the key in the ignition. Probably time to get home and get some sleep. Things would look better in the morning.

* * *

Sorry this took so long. I had a hard time getting the last part to come out and then it just blazed out. That's how writing works, huh?

Anyways, thanks to everyone for reading. I love you guys. And huge thanks to Rachel for our conversations – especially that last one about certain things... ; )

So, now on to the actual events present in BD! Woohoo! :D


	6. Crankiness Run Amuck

I still don't own Rachel, Paul, the wolves, or anything Twilight – Stephenie does. Hope you all enjoyed the final Eclipse trailer – if you haven't, go check it out. This is going to be awesome… :D All this stuff is so awesome – go check out the new promo pics and lionandlamblove dot org. I'm just eating up all the wolf pack pix – especially Paul and Jake. They all look pretty yummy, though. Seth is so adorable… lol!

Sorry this took so long – my thumb's been bothering me some and I've just been stuck. I also went back and fixed the chapters. They've been driving me crazy with how short they are. So, you guys will get a bigger bang for the update. ; ) So, uh, enjoy! : )

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CRANKINESS RUN AMUCK

* * *

The next several days were long and tiresome for Rachel as she had patrol several times – once at night. Getting in to the whole wolf routine was certainly exhausting. However, her control over her phasing was getting better so she was comforted by that.

Jake had been a little loopy when he first got home, but now he was just mopey. And cranky. The littlest things would set him off, and he'd be off on a run before anyone could even breathe. It was just crazy. And Rachel had thought she was an emotional train wreck – wowsa!

Rachel felt awful for what Bella Swan was putting her little brother through. It just made her sick at how badly he was hurting. She tried to talk to him about it, but he would immediately walk away, change the conversation, or snap at her to shut it so she gave up. She would just have to let Jake be and get over himself.

The day of the wedding, Jake moped even more around the house. He left after a bit and when he came back his mood was significantly brighter. He even seemed to have a bounce in his step like he used to have before Rachel had left and her brother had been an innocent kid with not a care in the world. Midway through the afternoon her curiosity got the best of her and Rachel asked Billy about it.

"Oh nothing, Sweetheart. Sam just talked to Jake about some stuff that's been bothering him." The older man sat in his suit in his wheelchair watching ESPN.

"Okay. Guess I've been gone too much for him to want to talk to me, huh?" she asked sarcastically.

"Well, I don't know if I'd say that…"

"Why not? I've tried talking to him, but no, I'm just the know-it-all sister who doesn't have a clue about anything in our mythical-tuned world." Rachel rolled her eyes exasperated with her father and his excuses for the pack and Sam. Even now that she knew about the pack – was in fact a part of the pack – he still avoided some things with her. Perhaps, it was because she was simply a lowly pack member – no he would receive no excuses from his daughter! None whatsoever! She resolved in her mind.

"Maybe. But, honey, you're also a girl so you may not understand."

"Sure, sure, Dad." Rachel walked away rolling her eyes again. This eye rolling thing was becoming quite the habit for her, Rachel noted with a chuckle. It was definitely not something she had done prior to her transformation. Weird stuff – but then everything was weird now.

She walked down the hall toward the back of the house where her brother had disappeared. Maybe she ought to bother him for more information. Rachel was becoming quite the little sleuth with all the mystery work she had been doing since she had come home.

"Jaaaaaaaakeee!" she bellowed from outside his room.

"Go away. I'm busy," Jake snapped back through his closed door.

"But Jake…" She got cut off when a blast of air blew at her from the rapid opening of Jake's door in front of her.

"I said go away," he demanded. He stood in front of his sister wearing a suit and a pathetically tied tie.

Rachel's eyes widened at her brother's apparel. "Where're you going?"

"Bella's wedding, stupid."

"Hey – watch your mouth, Baby Boy," Rachel snapped, reaching up to smack him on the head. She glared pointedly at him.

He leaned away from her hand and answered with a snarky, "Whatever. And don't call me baby boy!"

"You look nice, though," she replied softly with a small smile.

"Sure, sure," he smiled at his sister with a chin up gesture. He walked down the hall and to the bathroom, leaving the door open. Rachel followed him to where he stood in front of the small mirror. Jake began fiddling with the tie. She giggled as he seemed to make the tie look worse than when she had first seen it.

"Here – let me." Rachel strode over to where her brother stood. She reached up and began fiddling with it. Within seconds she was done with her work and looked rather smug. "There you go. Perfect," she pronounced. "You look perfect and positively handsome." Rachel grabbed his arm and squeezed lightly.

"Uh, thanks, Rach." Jake looked down at his sister with a shy glint in his eye. He pulled her into a one armed hug before placing a kiss on the top of her head.

"You're welcome, Jakey." Rachel looked at her brother in the mirror. "You've grown up so much, and I just want you to know I'm so proud of you." She looked down at her feet before continuing. "I'm just sorry I wasn't here to watch it."

"That's okay. You had to go to college."

"I know – it's just, I coulda come home to see you and Dad and I'm sorry." She shuffled her feet lightly and beginning to pull away from Jake.

He pulled her back and into a full blown hug. "Nah – don't worry about it. We've all had stuff to deal with, and the Mom issue has always been a sore spot for you and Becks." He squeezed her gently before clearing his throat and whispering so quietly that Rachel almost missed it, "I missed ya, Sis."

Tears spread into Rachel's eyes. "You, too. And everything'll be okay, I promise." She reached up and hugged him tightly around the neck standing on her tip toes to do so. She released her brother and stood in front of him.

"I wish I could believe you, but I don't know if it will be. She's so stubborn. She's set on becoming a leech just like that crazy she's marrying. But whatever, I guess. Can't care anymore – hurts too much," his voice grew quieter until it was a simple mumble. He shrugged it off with another throat clearing.

"I know, I know," she murmured. Rachel rubbed his arm in a motherly fashion. "It'll be alright. You'll be okay." Jake leaned his head down to Rachel's shoulder and she began rubbing his hair. She continued to speak softly to him for several minutes.

After a few minutes, Billy called to them that he was leaving and the siblings separated. "Thanks, Rach."

"Welcome," she smiled kindly and comfortingly at him.

"Does Dad know?"

"Know what?" he asked.

"That you're going to the wedding, Doofus." Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, he knows. Not going to the wedding – just the reception. Just wanna be there for Bells. Ya know, make her happy and all."

"Okay. Do you want me to come along?"

"You can if you like. I don't care. Guess ya probably oughta ask Sam. Seth'll be at the wedding – the leech lover." Rachel glared pointedly at her brother. She loved Seth almost as much as she did the boy standing in front of her, and you don't mess with either of them if you know what's good for you. "But I'm not sure who he's gonna have on wolf detail."

"Gotcha."

"Since Seth is going, Sam's pretty annoyed so I don't know if he's in the mood to say yes. But ya might ask him anyways."

"Okie doke. In that case, I've got an alpha to call."

"'Kay. I've gotta get my shoes on now." They both looked down at his feet and he wiggled his toes.

Rachel giggled at him and walked down the hall. She grabbed the cordless phone and walked over to the list of numbers on the refrigerator. Rachel ran her finger down the list of phone numbers and noted they needed to be reorganized. It was a complete mess – Billy and Jake really needed her, Rachel noted once again. Good thing she'd be around for awhile. She shook her head and ran through it again after not finding Sam and Emily's number. She finally found it and quickly dialed the number. It rang a few times before it clicked.

"Hello?" came the perky, happy voice.

"Hey Em. It's Rach. Is Sam there?"

"Yeah. Just a sec."

Rachel tapped her foot on the floor and looked at the ceiling while she waited. "This is Sam," came the solemn voice.

"Hey Sam – it's Rachel. Just found out Jake's going to the reception. Would it be alright if I went along?" she asked before quickly adding, "I mean I did ask Jake, and he was fine with it. Just wanted to make sure it was alright with you."

"I'd rather you not go along unless you're in wolf form. You have pretty good control, but you're still young and I'd rather not test it," he informed her sternly.

"Well, then can I go in wolf form?"

Sam sighed, and paused. Just as Rachel began to think she had lost the connection, Sam finally answered, "Alright…" Rachel began to speak but Sam interrupted, "…but only if it's alright with Paul. With regards to you, Paul must be considered."

"Of course, Boss-Man – excuse me – Boss-Wolf-Man," Rachel rolled her eyes. She was getting a little tired of this whole imprint thing. She liked the friendship she had with Paul, but still, always having to ask his permission was getting old fast. And it had come up several times in the last week – particularly, in the fact that when she did have patrol Paul was always there, too.

"I mean it, Rachel. You have to consider his feelings as well. Try his shoes on and see how that'd feel," Sam said sternly. She could hear the alpha in his voice and knew that she had to obey or not go at all.

She sighed and responded, "I'll give Paul a call and ask him."

"Alright. Meet me at the house if he's alright with it."

"Kay." Rachel nodded and hung up before dialing again.

"Hello?" came the sleepy voice.

"Hey you."

"Rach…" his voice brightened and Rachel could see in her mind's eye his grin spreading across his face. He was so predictable with her.

"Did I wake you?"

"Nah. I was just getting ready to head to bed, though. Wassup?" Paul asked.

"Just had a quick question for you. Um, you know _the_ wedding's today right?"

"Yeah. Can't believe Jake actually wants to go to that thing."

"Well, that's actually why I'm calling. He's only going to the reception, but he wants to surprise Bella. Sam and a couple of the guys are going in wolf form to back him up. So," she took a deep breath before continuing, "I kinda wanted to go with in wolf form to support him and just be there for him. I asked Sam, and he said I needed to ask you and make sure it was alright with you first. Please say yes, Paul."

"Rach, I dunno. I mean there are gonna be tons o' leeches there. I'm not sure I want you that close to them."

"What the heck does that mean?" she growled into the phone. "It's not like I'm human going to this thing. I'll be in wolf form the whole time. And I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. What's the difference between that and patrol?"

"Because you're choosing to go – that's the difference. You're choosing to be close to them," he snapped. Paul took a deep calming breath. "I just don't feel comfortable with it is all."

"You don't feel comfortable with it? Why should I even be asking you this? It's not like it's your business," she grumbled.

"Actually," he replied snarkly, "it is my business. You are my imprint, and you are my business."

"It works both ways, genius. And I wouldn't tell you that you couldn't go if it was so important to you." Sam said think about it from Paul's shoes – well here it is.

"That's not what this is about. I just want you safe is all." The air was thick with tension between them and they listened to just air for several minutes.

Rachel took a deep breath before breaking the horrible silence. "Paul, he's my brother. I need to be there for him. I haven't been there a lot for him and I want to start mending bridges. This is a way I can do it," she pleaded quietly.

"Rach…"

"Please…"

"Fine. Whatever, do what you want. It's not like I care," he answered moodily.

"Paul, don't be that way."

"Just go, okay, Rach. Don't worry about me." He hung up with that.

Rachel's shoulders dropped at that. Why'd he have to go and be that way? It's not like she wanted to be around a whole bunch of leeches. She just wanted to be there for Jake.

"You don't have to go," Jake's quiet voice came from behind her.

"No. It's fine. He's fine with it," she lied with a sniffle.

"You're a horrible liar, Sis. If he's not…"

"He said yes, so I'm going. It'll be fine," she angrily wiped away a tear rolling down her cheek. "Don't worry about me." He didn't get to have control over her – except he had more control over her than she had ever had over herself. She wiped another tear away in anger.

"I could totally take him out for you," Jake's eyebrows wiggled up and down.

Rachel shook her head depressingly. "Nah. Let's get going. I assume you're driving over."

He nodded, and the siblings headed out to Jake's micro car. They drove over in silence. Jake drove blankly while Rachel watched the greenery go past them as she thought about her imprint. He was just so stupid and irrational sometimes. She couldn't just do everything he wanted. She had family to think about, too. And right now it was her family's turn, she resolved with a glare at the trees going by. So, that was that.

When they arrived minutes later in front of Emily's quaint little home, Rachel hopped out of the Rabbit and walked over to the little house. She went right inside to find Sam, Paul, Embry, and Quil eating while Emily fussed and worried over them. Rachel's eyes narrowed at the sight of her imprint, and she groaned lowly. Paul glanced over at her and narrowed his own eyes at her to make sure she knew he was not happy either. She gave him a snarky face which he gave right back. The two did not realize that the others were watching the couple intently. Emily decided to break it up by leaving the table and greeting the new comers.

"Hey Em." The two women hugged, and Rachel threw another dirty look at Paul who just turned away from her to try the ignore-one's-imprint-tactic. Emily greeted Jacob with a squeeze of the arm, and he gave her a quick, forced smile. Rachel rolled her eyes at Jake's pathetic action. Emily smiled at them warmly, and the three headed to the table.

"Okay. So, Jake, you'll go in human form. The rest of you will all accompany me in wolf form," Sam informed them, but Rachel only half listened to what he had to say. She could catch up on the way over. Rachel glowered at Paul. He always thought he had to protect her from the big bad monsters of the world. "We are not going to start trouble. We're just going to support Jake."

"Right," Jake drew out the word exaggeratedly. "I'm not gonna do anything. I wouldn't do that to Bella." Jake glared at Sam's implication. Sam met Jake's angry gaze and narrowed his eyes in a commanding manner. "I only want to make Bella happy, and that means showing up at her wedding to surprise her, alright?"

"Okay then. Everybody's mad at everybody. We should just go shift now and put all this crap to good use." Quil looked around at his pack mates with wide eyes and a stupid grin.

"Yes. That's a brilliant idea, Quil, my friend," Embry added in a higher pitch voice than normal. He glanced at the four irritated wolves and decided to lead the procession out the door.

Jake hopped into the Rabbit and headed down the road to the Cullen home where the reception would be held. The other five shifted, and the group began their procession to Forks and the reception.

The run over was an awful one for Sam, Quil, and Embry. Paul and Rachel continued to give one another off-handed snotty remarks and just being generally snarky to one another. It finally came to head when they got back on the topic of the reception.

_Ya know, normal guys would be fine with sisters helping little brothers._

_Well, ya know what they say, normal guys get normal girl, but since I'm not normal you must not be either. Wish I coulda imprinted on a normal girl – would have been a heck of a lot easier. Ya know, Kim, pretty much worships Jared._

_So, you'd like me to worship you, is that it?_ Rachel growled at the silver wolf behind her. Her ears flattened to her head and she bared her teeth.

_Sure_, Paul answered sarcastically. _You might actually do some stuff I want to. Sure seems I do a whole lot for you and not get much in return. _

Rachel flung herself around with a snarl. _You listen here, you idiot. This isn't about getting but about giving._

_My point exactly…_

_Whatever. But _this _situation isn't about you – it's about my family, my little brother. So, leave it be and butt out. _Rachel punctuated the last line with a snarl to accompany each word.

_Family? We're all a family, _Paul grumbled in return. His thoughts became even more sour at the thought of family. _That may be important to you but…_

_That's enough out of you both. You two can have a disagreement on your own time, _Sam commanded them both.

_I don't think any of us really want to be in your lover's quarrel,_ Quil threw in.

Honestly, they sounded like little children bickering over a candy bar, not two grown adults beginning a potential relationship. Good grief – was the though shared by these two and Embry.

They both slunk back into formation, each on the far side of the pack, Sam in the middle with Quil and Embry on either side of him.

The last bit of their run was punctuated by calmness and normalcy, led by Embry and Quil. They did their best to keep the tensions low, but the entire group could all feel the overwhelming disgust and anger between Paul and Rachel.

By the time, they had reached the reception, Jake was waiting for them, ready to go see his girl one last time. The pack sighed collectively in sorrow for Jake's pain and the very obvious sadness on his face.

"Well, let's do this," he told the pack solemnly.

Jake turned towards the extravagant reception area. Rachel's eyes almost bulged out at the sight of the bright lights and the beauty of it all. The others had similar reaction with Sam experiencing the least reaction to it all. It was so over the top that it was disgusting in their collective eyes. Rachel's nose wrinkled at this as did her pack mates' noses.

Jake approached the edge of the tent tentatively. Then she could hear the leech speak up and then Bella's happy voice at Jake's greeting. The two continued in gentle conversation with Jake's laugh interspersed with Bella's quieter one.

The pack settled into hang out while Jake yammered and danced with Bella while her bloodsucker husband stood back. Quil and Embry sat down to watch the couple and Rachel followed suit. Sam stood while Paul walked over to stand just between Rachel and the tent. Bella's face shone as Jake held her in his arms, and Rachel sighed in contentment at the look of happiness in her brother's face.

_Too bad it can't last_, Embry thought, watching them.

Rachel nodded sadly in agreement, shifting her body around so she could rest her head on a nearby log. It was very obvious from everyone's posturing that they were nervous. None of them were relaxing in the slightest even as Jake's posture relaxed with Bella in his arms. Rachel was somewhat nervous because of the burning sensation in her nostrils, but she felt safe with all her brothers closer by. And Paul was close.

Paul's mind brightened at Rachel's thought. He shifted closer towards her until his front leg was just brushing against her lower back and hind leg. She cast him a quick glance backwards and rolled her eyes and snarkily added, _Such a kiss up._

_Rachel!_ Sam said tartly as Paul began to respond. He glared at her. _Now is not the time for you two to bicker. Hush up and focus on the task at hand._

Just as Sam stated this, all of a sudden Jake and Bella's dance came to halt with Bella snapping at Jake. "I can do anything I want! Butt out!"

The entire pack was immediately at attention listening for any signs of confrontation. Then Jake gasped about what she said. Bella mentioned having a real honeymoon and repeating her request for Jake to butt out. She then yelped in pain asking Jake to let her go. He then yelled at her, shaking her again. The leech was immediately there as well as Seth.

Sam and Quil snarled at the leech's harsh words towards Jacob telling him to let her go and back off.

In the midst of it, Seth tried to calm his pack brother down. "You'll hurt her," Seth whispered. "Let her go."

The leech snarled at her brother this time, and Rachel felt a growl rise from her throat as well as from her other 'brothers.'

_Quil,_ was all Sam said and he and Quil immediately joined Seth in helping Seth with Jake.

Jacob was now obviously shaking in Seth's long arms, dying to claw the leech's eyes out. Rachel watched the leech pull Bella away from Jacob and Seth, and the approaching Sam and Quil.

The other three stood up, Paul in front with Rachel and Embry flanking him on his left and his right. Rachel was in awe at how easily and instinctual it was to move to watch one another's backs.

Jake then firmly stated ingrained with passion and pure unadulterated anger, "I'll kill you. I'll kill you myself! I'll do it now!"

Sam moved closer to Jake and growled. _Back off now, Jacob._

Jake's anger was so strong that Seth was able to butt in and move Jacob back towards the pack and away from Bella. Seth continued pulling while Sam began pushing Jacob back towards the pack.

_Quil?_ Rachel questioned as Sam and Seth successfully pulled Jake into the dark forest. She could see from Quil's point of view Bella talking to him from the bloodsucker's arms.

"I'm sorry." Her face was riddled in agony and utter sadness. Quil narrowed his eyes at her before focusing on her new husband. He huffed at the leech before turning to join the pack.

Jake phased as soon as Sam and Seth were clear. Seth headed back inside to be with his mom and apologize to the Cullens for the incident. Sam was not pleased with Seth, but let it go because of concern for Sue's safety with all the leeches. He had bigger problems to deal with - namely in the form of an angry Jacob Black.

Jake was immediately cussing the entire pack out in his anger over what was going on with Bella and her vampire. They all got an immediate rundown on what went down as they took off into the forest.

_What the heck is she thinking? If they do _it, _she'll die for sure. Seriously.._. Jake's thoughts trailed off into thinking about a world without Bella. This immediately brought on a wave of depression. These thoughts of Bella's impending death at the hands of her leech lover depressed the entire group while simultaneously disgusting them to the nth degree. They wrinkled their noses in unison. The group slowed to a stop when Rachel began thinking back to the conversation she and Jake had in the bathroom at the Black house earlier that day.

_Jakey, it's gonna be okay. Just like I told you earlier._ The others stood back and allowed Rachel to approach her brother. Perhaps she could get through to him where they couldn't. She strode up to her brother and gently nosed him in the shoulder to comfort him.

_Go away! I don't want your sympathy or your pity! Just leave me alone! _He growled at her and snapped his large, sharp teeth at Rachel's face.

_Back off!_ Paul was immediately between them growling at Jacob, apparently forgetting his previous disagreement with his imprint. His hackles stood straight up, and Rachel shrunk slightly behind him. He then bared his teeth at Jake and knelt into a crouch ready to spring at Jake if he made a move towards him and Rachel.

_It's okay, Paul._ Rachel nosed Paul's shoulder, and the large silver wolf quieted almost instantaneously. He looked back at her over his shoulder, his dark eyes questioning her. _I'm sure._ If she could have smiled, Rachel did at him.

Jake rolled his eyes at their affection. They hated each other and then they were flirting. Disgustingly ironic! _Can I go?_ Jake asked, his voice laced with irritation and anger.

_Of course. Embry… Quil… please go with your brother._

_No. Alone_, Jake demanded, his eyes narrowed in pain.

He nodded at Jake and headed off in the direction opposite of Jake's. Embry and Quil followed behind Sam. Paul followed suit but slowed as he noticed Rachel hang back watching her brother retreat towards the distant mountains.

Her shoulders fell in a defeated fashion as he headed off. She was so confused. She was on an emotional roller coaster – and it was extreme. She felt all of the conflicting emotions within herself regarding Paul and all the new twists life had thrown at her as well as the emotions of her pack mates, most notably her brother's..

_I know, Rach. I know. _Paul said comfortingly. He had walked back over to Rachel and stood next to her, watching her watch her brother.

Rachel sat down in the dirt and giant tears formed in her eyes. She felt so lost and alone and scared. _If only Mom could be here_._ She would know what to do about us and this and the pack and everything._

She slowly slid to her belly and curled into a fetal position. Life was so insane for normal people, but this was … indescribably insane. _I feel so broken._

_I know, my Rach. I know, baby._ Paul wrapped his silver body around her to try and comfort her, almost as if to attempt to shield her from the bad things of the world. She succumbed to his warmth and buried her nose under his chin which he sat on top of her head. _It'll be alright. It'll work out_ were the last words Rachel heard from Paul before she fell fast asleep, tired and worn out both physically and emotionally in his safe wolf embrace.

* * *

This is sooooo annoying! You probably all want to shoot me – it's so depressing. Rachel and Paul just can't seem to get along. Agh! And I can't seem to make them. Grrr! Bad Paul and Rachel! Bad dogs! ; ) Kinda getting along in the end – improvement… But seriously we've gotta get these two working in the right direction. Maybe they'll behave now…

Hope you enjoyed it! Please review, mis amigos! They make me muy, muy happy! And encourage chapter writing. ; ) Hahaha! Hugs!


	7. Relationship Crap

Oh my gosh! I am so pumped about _Eclipse_. Woot, woot! Just rewatched _Twilight_ and _New Moon_ in anticipation, and I am planning on going opening day. Woohoo!

Anyways, on to the story – first chapter in quite awhile. If you all hate me, I understand. ; ) lol! Hope you are continuing to enjoy it – let me know if there are things to change or you have any suggestions on evolution of the plot. I love input from you guys!

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RELATIONSHIP CRAP

_

* * *

Rach_, a voice asked quietly in her head. Rachel picked her head up and blinked her eyes sleepily. She glanced around, momentarily confused by her surrounding – the dank forest floor.

Where am I? she thought in her confused not quite awake state.

_In the forest, Rach. You fell asleep after the reception,_ the voice from earlier stated.

And the voice was familiar, she noted.

_Of course, I'm your conscious_, the voice said in an eerie voice that had a teasing lilt to it.

Then everything came flooding back. The reception, Jake freaking out about Bella's honeymoon choices, the pack reacting to Jake, Rachel's overwhelming feelings about everything, falling sleep from pure exhaustion. Rachel looked down at her feet – or rather paws – confirming her memory. She wiggled her creamy, slightly dirty toes and cocked her head to the side. She then looked around and found Paul sitting next to her, watching her intently.

_Conscious, eh?_

_Yup. Your conscious is not named Jiminy Cricket but Paul._

_I think it might be the other way around_. Rachel gave him a knowing look which achieved a barking laugh response out of Paul.

_Hahaha! You think you're so funny!_

_You know it._ Rachel stood up and stretched her back and legs like most canines. _How long was I out?_

_I dunno. A bit, I guess. Coulda been a couple of hours, maybe. But like I said, I'm not sure. Time is warped when I'm with you. _

Rachel would have blushed normally, and she knew her face did manage to heat up slightly even in her wolf form. It was not a bad feeling, as it might have been a week or two ago. _Oh,_ was all that came from Rachel's form. Paul stood up taller at Rachel's shy sign of affection.

_What's been happening while I was in the underworld?_

_Not much. All the guys headed home, and Jake's still off running around chasing his tail. Do you wanna head home?_

Rachel's creamy head shook up and down a couple of times before following the silver wolf at a quick pace through the dense foliage. They both sighed with relief at their arrival back in Quileute territory. The pair picked up speed as they ran and before long it had turned into a race between them. They ran easily together for a bit with each of them taking the lead in turn. They continued this until they were nearly to the Black house.

_Eat my dust_, Rachel hollered with a quick glance to her side as she pulled past and ahead of Paul.

_Hey!_ Paul responded in irritation. He growled when she laughed lightheartedly at his annoyed response.

Rachel took off easily without even trying too hard. Paul grumbled more before focusing his temper to spur his tired muscled to push harder. Even though he was angry that Rachel was beating him, her childlike joy at running at such a high speed and with such ease was just too infectious. Paul could easily feel the joy Rachel felt as the moist breeze flowed through her fur as the feeling running through his own fur.

By the time they reached the house, Paul was almost as perky as Rachel. They still had unresolved issues, but this seemed to be a permanent situation for them. Even so it still nagged at him in the back of his mind, and he was sure that Rachel knew how he felt before they both went their separate ways to phase back. Within minutes, they reunited in front of the front steps.

"That's even better than running track. Like ten times better," Rachel gushed. Her grin was so wide that Paul thought her face might break if widened anymore.

"I know. It's pretty dang awesome," Paul agreed with a wink. "You're pretty fast. Right up there with Leah, I think."

"Yeah. I won a lot of meets when in I ran in school. And it may just be a girl thing."

"Uh huh. Sure it is, Rach. Sure it is. Probably just you."

They shared a smile before they both opened their mouths to speak. Paul motioned for Rachel to go first.

"It's late. I should go on in. Don't want to Dad to be worrying."

"Yeah – definitely." Paul shuffled his feet nervously, alternating between looking at his bare feet and Rachel.

"And you should get home and get some sleep. You look really tired. When did you last sleep?" Rachel commented in a concerned tone.

"I dunno. A couple days, maybe. But I'm alright – not dying or anything – just tired." Neither moved and awkward silence set in while they both glanced at one another, their bare feet, and the forest around them.

After a moment Paul said that he would be heading home.

"Paul?" Rachel called once she was at the top of the steps and he about half way across the lawn towards the main road up the driveway.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for hanging with me earlier."

"That's what I'm here for." He turned to leave once again after offering a strained smile to his imprint.

"Paul?" she called once more after he turned to leave.

He turned back towards her. "Yeah, Rach?" his voice slightly strained from his exhaustion and lack of sleep for almost two days.

"Wanna have lunch tomorrow? In town? I think we need to talk." She asked smiling a half smile at him before looking away from him.

Paul hesitated for a moment, not sure if he wanted to or not. Imprinting was about your imprint but he was also her imprint so wasn't this also about what he wanted. And as easy as it had been for Jared and Kim, this was just not easy whatsoever. Right up there with Sam and Emily – not quite as much baggage but getting together as a couple was certainly right up there with those two. Most importantly Paul's pride was still very hurt, and he was, honestly, beginning to wonder how much more of a beating he could take from the roller coaster known as Rachel Black. "I dunno, Rach. I'm just tired right now. And I don't know how much more of this I can take," he stated honestly and as evenly as possible.

"I just wanna talk. I know I'm a pain and hard to get along with most of the time and needy and stupid and…" she choked out. "But please, please don't give upon me – not yet at least," she pleaded desperately. Her voice rising the longer she spoke, being quite high when she finished. Her face showed her agony and pain at her situation. She wanted so badly to be what Paul wanted, but she was so afraid of it at the same time. Double imprinting was not easy – trying to balance each other's wants while trying to give each other their wants. Agh!

Paul sighed quietly but Rachel's sharp hearing picked it up even across the yard. She flinched slightly at its sound. "Please," she asked once more, very quietly. So quietly that only Paul could hear it.

"Sure." He drew out the word and then asked, "When do you want me to come pick you up?"

"You don't…"

"If we're going out, I'll pick you up," he interrupted gruffly and firmly. Rachel could see his posture stiffen and his voice was very clearly indicating he was on edge. If she argued at all, it was very likely that he would lose control and shift right there in the lawn. Rachel could honestly say that she had never seen Paul this upset with her. She had really screwed up. She knew that she had handled the situation badly, but Rachel felt that she was doing the right thing in supporting her brother.

To avoid confrontation, she answered with a simple, "okay," and a submissive nod so Paul knew he was in charge here. She then added, addressing his original question, "How about noon. Would that work for you?"

"Sure. I'll see you then," Paul said stiffly, not allowing Rachel to see his surprise at her submission to his wants. He quickly turned to leave, not noticing or caring that Rachel stood on the front porch with tears in her eyes watching him until he was completely out of sight.

Once he was gone, Rachel quickly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and went into the house. She found her father in the living room watching TV.

"Sorry I'm late, Daddy. You didn't have to wait up."

"Hi Honey. How are you doing?" he greeted her kindly with a warm smile that made Rachel feel all mushy inside with as awful as she was feeling.

"Rough, Daddy. Real rough. Life is so much harder now than it used to be. I mean college wasn't easy, but this wolf stuff is just so hard." She flopped onto the couch her head on the end so that she could watch her father without having to wrench her head backwards.

Billy's smile became sympathetic toward his daughter. It was also grateful. She was willing to talk to him about her problems it seemed. Her transformation and imprinting situation had pushed her closer to her father, and Billy was reveling in having his daughter so close, physically and personally. "Yeah?" he urged her to continue.

"I can't do anything right. I make Jake mad when I'm trying to comfort him. And I know he's a little crazy right now, but on top of that I'm like the worst person involved in imprinting ever! I'm beginning to think that Paul is just gonna leave me and give up on me. I wouldn't blame him either. Who would want an imprint who doesn't want to move into a relationship? Maybe Paul was right – maybe life would be better if it was an easy imprint like Jared and Kim. I would even settle for Sam and Emily at this point. Life feels just awful. I'm just not ready to move into a relationship with him," she choked and then continued quietly, "but I'm so afraid I'm gonna lose him. I can't imagine life without him."

"I don't know what to say. I don't know how this will work nor do I have any advice for you. I've never been in this situation with the wolves or imprinting." Billy paused for a moment collecting his thoughts. "The only thing I can tell you without a doubt is that Paul will never give up on your nor will you ever give up on him. You two are meant to be together. That's why this mystical magic brought you two together. Don't worry, Baby Girl." His smile grew as he watched his daughter take in what he said, and his expression only became more loving.

"Really? I won't lose him?" she sniffled.

"No honey. You two might get frustrated with one another, but you'll be alright. You need each other."

"Do you think that may be where Paul is right now?"

"Perhaps. Have you talked to him about any of this or your concerns?"

"A little but not to this level. We are having lunch tomorrow, though."

"Good." Again he paused before continuing. "One thing your mom and I found early on in our marriage was that communication is one of the most important aspects of a relationship. A lack of communication can cause a great deal of pain and agony in a relationship and sometimes even cause it to end. In fact, this was a major problem your mom and I had to deal with." His eyes refocused on the wall and on a simple cross stitch Sarah had made years ago.

"When we first got married, I thought it was as simple as the love we had for one another. But I did not realize that it was that simple though. I had wants, but so did your mother. And oftentimes, those wants did not match up. One time shortly after we got married, your mom wanted to get, what was it – I can't even remember exactly what it was – oh I remember, a few new toys in the kitchen, I believe. At the same time, as you might imagine, I wanted to get a TV as we didn't have one. She talked me into getting her the blender, the mixer, and the other things she wanted, and I was glad she was happy to get it. But at the same time, I begrudged her for getting what she wanted when I did not get what I wanted. The thing was, I never told your mom I wanted a TV. I just let her do whatever she wanted to. Anyways, this all ultimately culminated in a huge fight. The moral of the story is that had we communicated, none of that would have ever happened."

"So what you're saying is that I need to talk to Paul openly about what I want and things will work?"

"Not exactly. You need to talk to him also about your feelings – really it should be everything. He can't take care of you if you don't talk to him just as you can't take care of him if he doesn't talk to you.

"But that's just it, Dad. He doesn't talk to me. He just listens."

"Are you giving him the chance to talk, Rach?" Billy's voice was somewhat stern, but his face was serious and concerned.

"I guess not. I'm such a jabber jaw that he can't get a word in edgewise." Rachel sighed and her eyes stung with tears flowing to the surface.

"Don't worry. Talk to him, honey. Tell what you're thinking – what you're feeling, and things will work out for the best. I can promise you that. It worked great for Mom and I."

Rachel's eyes brimmed further with tears at the mention of her mother again. "I miss her Daddy. I wish she were here."

"I know, Rachie. I know. I wish she were here, too, but I do know that she would have been so very proud of you. Of everything you've accomplished in your life."

By now tears streamed down Rachel's face. "Thank you, Daddy. I love you so much." She got of the couch and knelt next to Billy's chair.

"Come here." Billy patted his lap like he had when she had been a child motioning for her to hop into his lap. Normally, Rachel would have been very hesitant to do so, but she needed her father's parental comfort and love. As soon as she was settled, he wrapped his arms tightly around his daughter as she cried out all of the pain in her life. He murmured comforting words into her hair telling her things would be alright.

She sat up after a bit and hugged Billy tightly before pecking him on the cheek. "Thank you, Daddy," she repeated. "I love you so very, very much. You've always been such a wonderful father, and I don't think I tell you or express it very much." She stood up next to this chair

"I love you, too. Thank you."

"For what?"

"For talking to me and coming home to me."

Rachel smiled tiredly but brightly. "I missed you a lot, Daddy, and I've missed talking to you about everything." Rachel felt such overwhelming affection towards her father in that moment. She was reminded that Sarah had always been the nurturer and affectionate parent. Billy had tried to be affectionate but it wasn't natural for him. When his wife had passed on in the car accident, his affectionate nature had all but disappeared. And even though no one could replace the affection that Sarah could slather her children in, Billy's old affection was beginning to resurface after so many years. And tonight, he had comforted his daughter exactly as she had needed. This just made Rachel know without a doubt that things would work out. Definitely work out for the best.

* * *

The next morning, Rachel slept late after having had a middle of the night patrol. This new life, even after a couple of weeks of regular activity, she was still struggling with the lesser amount of sleep. She had always loved her beauty sleep – even in college she always managed to get plenty of sleep because of how badly she functioned on little sleep. And late nights in college were vastly different than nights on patrol. Physical exertion in the middle of the night was so very different from mental exertion in the middle of the night.

When she finally opened her eyes all the way, the clock read 10:06. Rachel groaned when she began to really wake up – actually leaving her eyes open instead of resting them. She figured how much sleep she had gotten and six hours was not enough. She laid in bed for about ten more minutes before slowly rolling out of bed. She moaned missing the softness of her mattress.

Rachel grabbed some clothes and slowly wandered into the bathroom. She spent almost a half hour in the shower enjoying the lukewarm water. Rachel dearly missed hot water. Showers, like many things except for her pack family, felt cool or at the most lukewarm to her hot skin. Even so, she enjoyed the water beating on her muscles.

Once she was finished doing her make up – which by the way was almost pointless since it all just poofed when she shifted – Rachel slowly made her way to the kitchen for some breakfast. She didn't want to eat much since she and Paul would be eating in little over an hour.

"Morning, Dad, Jake," Rachel yawned.

They both returned her greeting. "Sleep well?" Billy asked.

"Alright when I was asleep which wasn't long."

Jake chuckled at his sister's grumbling. "You'll get used to it. Although, you've always been such a sleep lover." He chuckled again and like before, it was not a cheery one. Rachel could almost say that it had a dark, angry undertone. She had thought that after the wedding, Jake might begin to move on from Bella. Instead, he was even more miserable than before.

"Thanks," she answered sarcastically with a fake smile.

Billy could see where this discussion was going and quickly put an end to it with a sharp, "That's enough you two." Everyone always saw Billy Black as a saintly individual who put up with everything. Generally, this was true, but his two younger children had been seriously pushing his buttons lately.

They both murmured their apologies to their father but not one another. Rachel walked over to the dish cabinet and grabbed a bowl which she filled with Chocolate Cheerios and some milk. She grabbed a glass of juice and sat down with the guys at the table. The family sat in silence – Billy reading the newspaper, Jake just eating stuff, and Rachel munching on her breakfast while alternating with drinking her Pineapple Orange juice.

As soon as Rachel finished eating, she grabbed her glass and bowl and began loading the dishwasher with the accumulating dirty dishes. This only lasted a few minutes so she decided to clean out the refrigerator and freezer. She had already cleaned and organized all the cabinets a week ago and all that needed to be done in the kitchen was a good cleaning of the refrigerator. She ran some hot soapy water in silence, as her father and brother seemed to want, and began cleaning out the fridge. She placed things on the counter and table while she cleaned shelves and then put it all back. While she worked, her father and brother both left the house. Jake doing who knows what since he wasn't scheduled for patrol until afternoon and Billy was heading into La Push for tribal business.

"I'm in the kitchen," she hollered when she heard the quiet knock on the front door.

"Hey," Paul said as he walked into the kitchen.

"Hi." Rachel turned away from the fridge and towards him.

"You look tired, Rach? Getting enough sleep?"

"Enough. Just not used to physical exertion compared to mental exertion that late at night."

"In other words, you're a bookworm rather than a partier," he teased lightly, leaning on the door jam in the kitchen.

"Something like that." She smiled at him shyly before resuming talking. "Look, Paul, about last night – I…"

"Why don't we talk when get there, kay?" he answered kindly. His expression made sure Rachel knew that it was alright.

She nodded her head in agreement. "Let me just put this stuff back in the fridge."

Paul moved to help her, and they quickly had the fridge put back together. Before they left the fridge, Rachel noted where she had stopped so she could finish this project later.

"Ready?"

"Almost – let me just grab my purse."

Once she had it, Paul led Rachel out of the house and to the black Chevy Silverado sitting out front of the Black house. Rachel figured it was a late '80s model. Having a gear head for a brother inevitably meant that Rachel knew some things about cars. And honestly, she kind of enjoyed them, but she would never admit to that to anyone especially her brother.

"This your's?" Rachel asked as she stood back and admired the pickup.

"Yup. Got it a few months ago. Been saving for years from my construction job to get it."

"Oh. I didn't realize you worked construction. I mean I guess I knew that, but ya know. And you mentioned you were good at it, but..." she trailed off as she hopped in to the truck.

He turned the key and the truck roared to life. "Yeah. It's a good gig – real flexible so it works well with patrol. And it's really what I wanted to do anyways so it's all good. I get to turn into a wolf and do the job I love."

"Don't ya wanna finish high school?" Rachel asked watching him intently. "I mean you learn so much about the world from school."

"Nah. I'm not too worried about it. I've got my job and I've got the pack. High school won't help me with any of that, and in reality, it will only take time away from those things that are more important to me."

"Oh," Rachel turned away from him and looked out the passenger window. Paul watched her for a moment before focusing on the road, wondering where this conversation was going. After a moment, she began carefully, "But don't you want to conquer this thing you've started? Don't you want to set a good example for your kids?"

"Why? Just for my pride? Nope – and my kids, they'll be fine. You've graduated high school and almost finished college so isn't that enough?" he responded carefully, guarded. He was beginning to get a little annoyed, and the realization that she seemed to always find something that he did wrong turned this annoyance quickly into irritation. He wasn't shaking yet, but his temper tended to be much closer to the surface lately. He had mellowed some at first when he imprinted on Rachel, but now this imprint seemed to only shorten his already short fuse.

"That's true. I guess I just thought…" she replied nervously knowing already that she had angered him.

"Well, ya thought wrong, Rach," he exploded. "I'm not you, and I'm not gonna do everything you suggest. I don't always have to agree with what you say or thing. And seriously, why do you always have to criticize everything I do." By now, his hands were shaking and fighting to grip the steering wheel. He fought to control the monster yearning to explode out of his spine.

"I don't criticize everything you do," she shot back. Her posture didn't change but her eyes were full of fire when she caught Paul's gaze. "I only ask questions because I want to learn about you and what you think about things." Paul pulled the truck over to the side of the road so that he could take his focus off the road and not worry about driving in addition to the heated discussion he was having with his imprint.

"Questions? Questions? Are you kidding me? They're questions that you know I won't answer the way you want me to. I'm just not good enough – that's all those questions are for – to prove I'm not good enough."

Rachel opened her mouth to retort his statement but he continued on. "And since we're on the subject of how you treat me. What about all those times I have done and done and done for you? Isn't imprinting about what your imprint wants…"

She then cut him off. "It is, but I can't see how well you've done that. Well, I've done that to be sure."

Paul cut Rachel off then. "You've done that. I don't think so. I don't see you trying to do anything for me. All I've done for you is care for you, cater to your emotional state, help you deal with all the crap that is now your life, and all you can say is I don't do anything for you. I mean, I seriously let you go that reception which, by the way, I detested letting you go to. Why, Rach? Why did you find that necessary?"

"Yes – you are right. You have helped me out a lot," she admitted before continuing, taking a deep breath, "but when I have truly wanted something, like the reception, you have allowed it. But you only allow it if it works for you or if it doesn't, you just hold it over my head and throw a tantrum about it. And I know I haven't done well by you – I'm an emotional train wreck, afraid of commitment. But I have admitted it to you so we could talk about it!"

"Admitted it, yes, but dealt with it, no. And I did not hold the reception over your head. In fact, I stayed with you after you and Jake had that little spat yesterday. What do you call that? Me throwing a tantrum?"

"That's not the point," Rachel snarled. "You are nice about it later once it's done with, but for once, I'd like to feel that it's okay when I start something rather than afterwards. I can't stand to feel like that – especially when you're the root cause of it."

"I was only trying to look out for you, and being so close to so many leeches is not safe – ever," Paul stated firmly, glaring out the window.

Rachel ignored him for a moment, staring off into the forest outside the passenger window. "Paul, you asked me yesterday why I chose to go to the reception. I told you it was for family, and you got angry. Why? Why is it such a problem for me to support my family?"

Paul stared off into space for a moment before answering Rachel. "It's not your supporting your family. You only said it was for family. You don't know much about my life beyond the pack." He paused and took a deep breath. "Family to me does not mean what it does to you. For you, it's wonderful even without your mom, but to me, it just means more agony, more pain, and more sadness."

"Paul…" Rachel was at a loss for words. She could see some of Paul's life when they shifted but he had to be thinking about it to know about it. He avoided thinking about anything other than her or the pack or patrol. And now she had an inkling of some of his deeper layers. "What – I mean – why – I mean – I don't know what to say." Rachel glanced over at him with a lost expression on her face.

"I don't know, Rach." Paul leaned his head back on the back window of the truck. "I don't wanna talk about it. I'm sorry I brought it up."

"No – that isn't an option anymore, Paul. We have to talk. I tell you so much and you can do so much for me because I talk to you. I tell you about my issues and what I struggle with. But, Paul, you never tell me anything. I don't know anything about you, and I deeply want to know you – all of you. And not just the good stuff – everything. Paul Meskas is a complicated man, made up of many layers, and I want to know him. You have to let me in and talk to me. I know I get wrapped up in me a lot, but I do genuinely want to do for you, too. I care about you a great deal. You're my imprint, and I want you to be happy, Paul."

"You want us to talk?" he blanched at Rachel.

"Yes. Communication is important to making a relationship work, and I want us to work, Paul."

Paul's mouth formed and 'o'.

"I'm not asking questions to interrogate you. I want to know you. I want to know what makes you tick. I want to know why you believe certain things. So, yeah…" Rachel trailed off. She peeled her eyes off of Paul and back onto the forest before beginning her apology. "I'm sorry about yesterday. I was out of line with how I approached you. I should have expected you to be reasonable rather than expecting the worst from you. It was wrong of me, and it was wrong of me to be rude and unkind when I was asking for something from you. I stand by my decision to go the reception, but I did not handle it well. I'm sorry, Paul. Can you forgive me?" She stole a glance at Paul before returning her gaze to the dank forest.

"Yes, Rach. And I'm sorry I don't talk to you, and that I overreact to crap. I try really hard to chill out, but – I dunno – I guess I'm just a screwball."

"Not a screwball – just unique." Rachel smiled shyly at Paul. "Are we okay now?"

"For now. And I will talk to you more about stuff. I want us to work, too, Rach, and I will do whatever it takes to get through this. You're simply too important to not do this."

"Thank you, Paul. That means a lot to me." Rachel leaned across the sit and planted a quick kiss to his cheek before pulling back. Paul smiled slowly at her before starting the truck back up.

"We'll be alright, Rach. We'll be alright." And they pulled back into traffic and towards town.

* * *

Well, I hope that wasn't awful. I was kind of lost on the argument – let me know if I should change some of it cause I'm not sure it makes sense. And if anyone is willing to beta this, I would love it – I think it would help the story quality to be better. : )

Enjoy this and _Eclipse_ everyone! Loves to all – reviews are greatly appreciated!


	8. The Next Step

Again, not a lot of reviews on the last chapter. I think it may be because I changed the entire story layout. I hope that's the case, at least. *sheepish look* Anyways, enjoy this next chapter… and please, please review. They are very encouraging.

And I don't own anything in the Twilight Saga – the books, the movies, the actors – nothin'. I can't even claim the double imprint since that's been done before – just not with this couple.

* * *

THE NEXT STEP

* * *

"C'mon, Rach." Paul walked around to her side of the truck, opening the door and taking her hand.

"Why am I not surprised?" Rachel teased noticing the sign reading _Gordy's Pizza and Pasta_.

"What can I say? I like pizza." Paul grinned before taking her hand and leading her inside.

"Table for two?" the seating hostess asked. She looked Paul up and down, and Rachel glared, grabbing Paul's arm possessively and moving his arm around her shoulders.

"Yes," Paul answered with a grin. He looked over at Rachel, pleased with her reaction to the waitress.

"Thank you," Rachel smiled slyly at the girl and would have glued herself to Paul's side had she had glue with her.

"Right this way." The girl motioned for them to follow her to a small table in the back out of the way. The two sat down at the private table and nodded their acknowledgement of the hostess telling them that their waiter would be over in just a moment.

"That was interesting," Paul commented as he looked at the menu in his hands.

"Interesting? The chick was roving you over like eye candy," Rachel grumbled, annoyed as all get out. "And I can't believe you think it's actually funny." She set the menu down, glowering at Paul.

He peeked over his menu at her. "I don't think it's funny, Rach. I just love your reaction."

"My reaction? I just wanted her to know you're taken – not that it isn't already obvious since we are having lunch together at a restaurant, which is basically a date," she end quietly. She picked up her menu trying to ignore what she had just said.

Paul's eyes lit up at the mention of their outing as a date. Technically, yes, it was a date, but to have Rachel call it that, was just perfect. "Yeah. You're right. We are technically on a date and she has no right to be checking me out. Just like all those guys at the bar need to keep their eyeballs in their heads if they want to ever have a prayer of having kids someday."

"Paul!" she exclaimed.

"You're doing it again, Rach." She raised one eyebrow in question. "You get to freak out, but I don't."

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"It's alright. I just get extremely jealous when it comes to you, babe." Rachel's face flushed at his pet name. She smiled shyly at him. "You're mine, and I want the world to know that, whether we date or not."

"Well, like you said earlier, we are technically on a date. So, aren't we technically dating?" Rachel asked shyly. She had set her menu down and tried hard to focus on the man in front of her. She gave him a small smile before looking down at her nails and messing with them.

"If you want to be…" Rachel nodded. "Then yes we are dating." Paul grinned brightly at Rachel.

"You should ask me first…" Rachel trailed off.

"Ask you?" Paul cocked his head, confused.

"Yeah. If you want to be dating, then you should officially ask me." Rachel looked at him with a silly smile and soft eyes.

His mouth formed an 'o' before transforming into a huge grin. "Rachel Brynn Black, will you go out with me and be my girlfriend?" Paul asked formally, his face serious but extremely giddy.

Rachel tried hard not to keep from laughing at him. He was so excited about this new development; it was obvious in his expression but mostly his eyes. "You're eyes are so expressive and vibrant."

"Huh?"

"I just complimented your eyes, doofus. I love them," she told him, looking deeper into them.

"You love my eyes…" Paul repeated, shifting his eyes and looking out the window. His forehead wrinkled in contemplation. "I ask you out, and you compliment my eyes. I'm confused."

Rachel giggled at him. "Don't be. And yes, Paul. I'll go out with you and be your girlfriend. Only if…" Paul held his breath, "you'll go out with me and by my boyfriend – my boyfriend alone?" Her face was somewhat uncertain at the last part. Her fears of commitment were rising to the surface again.

Paul guffawed at her, and nodded, taking note of her uncertainty. His face straightened up again and he grew extremely serious.

"You're mine, Rach. I don't want to be a possessive jerk, but you are mine. And I am extremely, extremely protective and sensitive to what is mine. And you are the most important thing to me so you're on the extreme end of my extreme protectiveness. And I will never, I mean NEVER, hurt you intentionally, nor will I ever leave you."

Rachel looked at Paul closely. He was very serious, and his eyes were glued only to her's. His stare was very intense but extremely devoted and dedicated to only her. "Paul…" she breathed, not sure what to say in response. The intensity behind her emotions and the emotions she read off of Paul scared her, but she would not let that fear interfere with this new development between them – it was too important to screw up.

The only thing she could do was stand up and go around the table and put her lips to his. Rachel kissed him softly. Paul's lips stayed still in surprise until they were finally moving with her's very sensitively and carefully. She had leant over next to Paul so her lips could meet his and Paul gently maneuvered her until she was sitting in his lap.

"Paul…" she breathed again once they broke apart and his hands ran up her sides. "Behave." Rachel chuckled at him, not moving from her place in his lap. Rachel ran her hands through his hair while studying his face. Paul returned her studious gaze, his hands moving back to her hips and staying there. She continued to study his face until she broke their quiet bubble. "I love you." Rachel buried her face in his neck and wrapped her arms around his neck tightly.

Paul's face changed to complete shock. "You … you … you do?" He hadn't expected this – especially not this soon – and with her insecurities, he thought it might be years before they ever got to this step in their relationship.

"Yes," she murmured quietly into his neck, her warm breath tickling his throat as she spoke.

Paul pulled her tighter into him, hugging her closely. "Well, I love you, too, my beautiful Rachel. You're so beautiful." His hands moved her face out of his neck so that they were looking at one another once again. "You're my everything, Rach. Every breath I take is for you, babe."

Rachel smiled as he moved in to kiss her again. Just before their lips met, Paul pulled swiftly away, leaving Rachel wanting. "What was that for?" her eyebrows pulled together in annoyance.

"Does that mean the kissing ban is lifted?"

"Kissing ban?" Rachel responded, confused.

"I said I wouldn't kiss you until you asked. Well, you kissed me, and we told each other how we felt. So…"

Rachel chuckled. "Yes. No more kissing ban. Now would you kiss me again, stupid?"

Paul pulled her in again and held her tightly as they kissed again. A voice cleared behind them.

"Are you ready to order?"

Paul instantly pulled away from Rachel, his face angry as all get out at the person interrupting him and Rachel.

"Yes," Rachel chuckled. She put a calming hand to Paul's face and smiled warmly at him. He looked at her deeply and rolled his eyes. There was no need for communication between them. Rachel's actions told him to chill and he immediately did so.

They had reached a new level in their relationship both emotionally and magically. The imprint magic had grown stronger and they could each noticeably tell that they were even more in tune with one another than they had been even an hour ago.

Rachel composed herself and went back to her own seat. She smiled at the waiter and answered, "Yes. We are ready to order."

Paul continued to glared slightly at the waiter but it was not nearly as intense nor so animalistic as it had been seconds before. They ordered and the waiter nearly took off running away from them.

Rachel chuckled lightly and Paul continued to glare at the doorway where the waiter had disappeared into the back. "Yup, you're right. You do freak out." Her chuckle transformed into full on laugh this time. Paul looked over at him, a sappy look on his face, and rolled his eyes at her.

"You're a dweeb, Rach."

"But I'm your dweeb."

"Yup," he popped the 'p.' "All mine." He added lowly, almost in a growl with a twinkled in his eye. The two continued to banter back and forth lightheartedly throughout the rest of their meal enjoying one another's company.

The couple sat around the restaurant for a bit after they finished eating and decided to head home. Rachel and Paul stood up simultaneously when they decided to head home. They both laughed at how ridiculously in tune they were to one another. Paul took Rachel's hand and led her out to the exit.

"Let me go get the truck," Paul told her after looking out at the pouring rain.

"Nah. Let's just go. I like the rain."

Paul rolled his eyes, opening the door for his imprint. She smiled up at him in kind and he gave her one back before wrapping her fingers up in his once more. Once they were out in the rain, Rachel slowed them down to a slow walk before stopping all together.

"Rach, what are you doing? We're getting soaked." Paul was totally confused.

Rachel unraveled her fingers from his and pulled a few steps away. She looked at him intently. The rain trickled down his face and followed the paths his muscles set for them. By now, his shirt was drenched and clinging to his skin. She couldn't help but admire how perfect this man was – and he was all hers!

"Dance with me?"

"What?" His expression was entirely confused.

"Dance with me?" she asked again before explaining, "I want to dance in the rain."

"Okay." He looked at her slightly weirdly before shaking it off. He walked over to Rachel and pulled her flush against him. He put his hands on her waist as she wrapped her arms around his neck. They began swaying in the downpour to the tune of nature. Paul tried to move himself so that his form was sheltering her much smaller body from the rain. She snuggled into his warm chest, resting her head there under his chin. Rachel listened carefully to the heart beat just beneath the surface, reveling in its strength. Paul loved how Rachel just fit right into him and how she seemed to be made just for him. In reality, he thought, she was indeed made just for him. She was his imprint just as much as he was her imprint, and it was perfect.

* * *

"I've gotta head out on patrol. Can I just leave my truck here?" Paul asked as he pulled into the Black drive way.

"Sure." Rachel nodded and smiled at Paul. They both got out of the truck, Paul meeting Rachel on her side of the truck. He smiled down to her before she asked, "Be careful, okay?"

"Are you kidding?" Rachel shook her head no. "I've been doing this for little over a year now. I'll be just fine."

"Please?"

"Alright. I'll be careful." Paul gathered her up in his arms and kissed the top of her hair gently. Rachel then lifted her face to his and their lips met tenderly.

"I love you," she whispered against his lips. He smiled and kissed her once more before heading out into the forest to meet the afternoon patrol.

Rachel danced to the front door, so happy she was with her life. Letting the imprint take over was the smartest thing she had ever done. She had never been happier, and she knew beyond a doubt that so was Paul. She could see it in his spirit, his body language, his demeanor, and his eyes. And that of course, just made her see stars. Perhaps she was living on a cloud – well, as long as Paul was there.

She had just walked in the front door and was met with an angry humph from the couch. Rachel was immediately defensive, ready to yell at her little brother for messing up her 'happy place' state of mind.

"Leah!" Rachel cried, surprised when she looked up to find her best friend glowering at her.

"What the heck are you doing?"

Rachel blinked at Leah before answering her friend's question with a question. "What are you talking about?"

"That." She pointed out the window in the direction of Paul's truck.

"Paul and I just went out to lunch. That's all, Lee," she explained with a smile.

"Just lunch? Then why were you kissing him?" Leah hissed at her.

"Why shouldn't I kiss him?" she shot back. Now she was angry. You do not mess with Rachel and you certainly do not mess with her imprint.

"Because … imprinting is wrong. It takes away your freedom. It turns you into a complete mush, and you aren't yourself anymore. You become someone else for someone else. And as I recall we always agreed to call each other on it. Well, Rach, I'm calling you on it. You're changing into someone else – Paul's Rachel instead of Rachel's Rachel."

"This is different, Lee. Totally and completely different from that. I'm not changing because I don't want to. I WANT to be what he needs me to be. I want to be Paul's Rachel. Rachel's Rachel was a complete train wreck, afraid of relationships with any man, and so very lost and alone." Rachel trembled with anger at her friend's attack on her imprint. "He is part of me, Lee. Whether you understand that or not, is not my problem. You just have to leave it be. He is mine, and I am his. I do not want it any other way." Her voice had gone low, her anger was so intense and focused.

"Rachel…" Leah groaned. "You're turning into a patsy."

Rachel ran her hand through her wet hair and walked past Leah to plop on the couch. "No, I'm not. Shifting changes us, Lee. We may not like it, but it does. And in all honesty, my life is better for shifting and imprinting. I'm happier, Lee. I haven't been this happy since … I dunno when. Maybe I've never been this happy."

"Rach, imprinting is so screwed up – especially in your case." Leah looked out the window at the pickup in the drive way. "You have no choice in this matter. You're stuck with him even if you don't want him because you both imprinted."

"That's not true." Her anger melted into sadness as tears formed in Rachel's eyes. "You just don't understand…"

"I understand perfectly well. I've seen what imprinting does, Rach. It ruins perfectly good things and makes a mess of people's lives," she shot back sharply

"So have I. And if you were in Em's shoes, you would be just as happy as she is right now, Lee. You're just the one who got the short end of the stick here. And I'm so sorry for you. I wish I could do something to ease your pain or make it even marginally better for you. It kills me to watch you suffer while watching them. It hurts, Lee. But Lee, you have to let it go. No matter how much you hate imprinting, it doesn't change what's happened. Sam can't leave Emily just as much as I can't leave Paul and vice versa. I love him, Leah. I fought it tooth and nail, you know that. And all I did was hurt myself and him. I can't do it anymore. I need him, like I need the air I breath."

Leah was glaring out the window. "I'm sorry, Leah. I wish I could do something for you. Is there anything I can do?" She continued to glared out the window, ignoring Rachel's question altogether. Leah stood and headed to the front door.

"Leah. Leah!" Rachel called after her, following her best friend out into the front yard.

"Leave me alone," she barked back. "Now you're just like them. Just like Sam and Jared and Quil and Embry and all the guys. You act like you understand my pain and my anger at this whole imprinting institution, but you don't. You pity me and my pathetic like." She stopped for a minute before continuing, yelling now. "You don't understand what it's like. I have to be the maid of honor in the wedding in which my so-called sister marries the love of MY life! You don't get it – I just fooled myself into thinking that because you would be a female wolf, too, maybe you'd get it. But no! You're just like them." Leah was now all in Rachel's face. She was alternating her angry words with a low growl. Her form began to blur because of the intensity of her emotions. Rachel just stood there looking at her friend through the wetness forming in her eyes, unmoving and hurting like someone had just stabbed her through the heart.

"Leah…" Rachel moaned quietly, watching her angry friend.

Within a few seconds of Leah finishing her rant, a form came bounding out of the forest. Paul wolf pushed himself between Leah and Rachel, dwarfing her as he wrapped himself around Rachel's human form as best he could. He growled lowly, dangerously at the other shape shifter.

"Just like them, Rach." Leah shot out again. Rachel's voice came to her in that second but nothing of real understanding came out, just a quiet sob. Jake and Colin came bounding out from the forest as well as Sam just on their tails.

Leah turned away from all of them and shifted, her tattered clothes fluttering into the wet breeze. Sam and Colin followed Leah into the forest. Rachel could easily tell that Sam was upset and Leah was getting seriously chewed out right about now. She leant into Paul's furry form and grabbed onto the fur in his torso. A sob wracked through her and she buried her face in his fur. He whined as he looked back at her with concern. She just clung to his soft hurt tighter. Paul pulled away slightly, and Rachel nearly cried out when he did.

Jake was immediately there for her to cling to. Her brown eyes connected with the nearly identical ones of her brother, and she could clearly see that he felt her pain. He whined and put his large head next to hers. Rachel wrapped her arms around his warm head and buried her head into her brother's shoulder. Jake wrapped his head around into a wolf hug as best he could. She stood in the rain with her brother comforting her and soon her boyfriend's human form also there comforting her. They stood in the rain like that for what seemed like hours.

* * *

The dancing in the rain scene was inspired by Taylor Swift's _Fearless_. I love that song, and I just thought it would fit perfectly in with this chapter.

And I hope you have enjoyed Paul and Rachel finally getting together as a couple and Leah just has to go and ruin it. I'm glad they have finally cooperated with my plans for them. But do not fear, this a great deal more to come in this story. We have to deal with 1) the return of the Cullens, 2) the breaking of the Pack, 3) the leech princess (who I love by the way – just a good nickname I think), 4) the Volturi, and any other further issues for Paul and Rachel that I come up with before they can truly reach their happily ever after into the supernatural world.

Please review, and hugs to all of you!


	9. A Real Patrol

This chapter is longer than the last one. I thought about lengthening the last one, but I think the emotional height in the last chapter made it perfect. I'm pretty proud of it, and I hope you all enjoyed it.

Now onto the story…

* * *

A REAL PATROL

* * *

"Rach, honey, I gotta get going, okay? Your brother might eat me if I stick around much longer," Paul whispered in her ear. She was curled up into his side on the couch, mindlessly watching television with him. Sam had let Paul off early form patrol after Leah's outburst.

"I'll eat him then," she murmured back to him, snuggling in closer hoping to persuade him to stay with her.

"Rach…" Paul groaned, knowing he had to go but knowing that the woman next to him could so easily talk him into sticking around longer. His mom was already eating up for how much he had been out and about, and if he missed dinner again tonight, he may not get out of his own home alive again.

"I know – you gotta go." Rachel sat up and looked over at Paul who's face was drawn pathetically. It was almost identical to the face Rachel knew graced her own face. Separation seemed a lot worse now with their relationship out in the open for the world to see them as a couple in more ways than just numbers. Rachel's face brightened when an idea hit her. "You could stay for dinner…"

"I wish I could, but my mom's gonna have my hide again for being gone all day. She told me I had to be home for dinner tonight or there would be 'severe consequences'." He rolled his eyes.

"Yeah. I understand." She sat up, stark straight. Rachel had forgotten all about his family. She seemed to be so caught up in her own family's drama – both her pack family and her own biological family. "I'm sorry. I forget all about your mom and your family. I forget that you have obligations other than the pack and me. I…"

Paul put a finger to her lips to silence her. "It's okay. It's not like I want to be there anyways."

"Paul, we should…" He stopped her again.

"I don't wanna talk about it, 'kay? I mean I know we need to– just not right now. Is that okay?" he asked. His dark eyes pled with Rachel to let it go, and she knew that she had to comply. This was what Paul needed from her.

She nodded with a smile. "We will talk about it someday, but not today – whenever you're ready. I should know something about the family I'm inevitably gonna marry into." Rachel winked and hopped up off the couch.

"Are you," Paul threw a hand up to his mouth to cover a mock gasp, "proposing to me, Miss Black?"

Rachel threw her head back and laughed deeply at him. "Sure, sure, Mr. Meskas. As long as you take my name, I will propose right here, right now." Paul chuckled back at her.

"I'm not sure Paul Black sounds right, but Rachel Meskas certainly has a nice ring to it."

The couple was interrupted by Jacob tapping his foot on the floor. He stood in the archway between the kitchen and the dining room eating a sandwich, glaring at Paul. "You leaving yet?"

"Paul will leave when he's good and ready." Rachel shot her brother a glare before ignoring him and focusing on her imprint who leant in and kissed her deeply but shortly. She wrapped her arms around his neck in return. Paul held her to him at her waist.

"I love you," she murmured as their lips barely separated.

"I know, babe. I'll call you later, and I'll see you tomorrow. That okay?"

She nodded, somewhat upset that she would be separated from Paul for so long. Even when they were angry, they only went perhaps the night – literally only about eight hours between seeing one another. Today, it was only just 4:30, and already their time had ended.

"Don't worry, it'll go fast," he reassured her. "You've got Stupid over there to keep you entertained. And if you need anything, just give me a holler, and I'll be hear faster than you can think it."

Rachel smiled lovingly at him. "Do you need anything from me?"

"You'll know if I need anything. Right now, you need more from me, and that's the way it should be for right now."

"But don't I…"

"Nope. One of these days, I'll need you. Til then, I'm gonna be the one doing the providing around here."

"Wow, I'm surprised. I was sure my sister wore the pants in this relationship." Paul and Rachel turned their attention to the forgotten other person in the room, glaring at them with contempt.

"Jake, can't you even be slightly senstivie to us?"

"I don't think he knows how," Paul threw in with an evil look thrown at his pack brother.

"Hey, be nice, you." Rachel jabbed him in the side and gave him a look. "I know you two don't get along, but he is my baby brother. No messin' with him, unless I say so."

"Do you say so?" Paul waggled his eyebrows.

"NO!" She rolled her eyes at him before glancing over at her brother. He grimaced before turning his attention to the still operational television. She did not notice Paul move in for a kiss again until it was too late. He kissed her momentarily before pulling away.

"Now, I'm good and ready to go, Black." Paul turned to Jake who had moved to the couch and addressed him with a cocky expression. "I'm filled up on my Rachel meter so we'll be good for a few hours. May not be able to stay away all night, though."

"You'd better stay away tonight. Should be thankful that we have been so hospitable up to now." Jake threw at Paul. He smiled at Paul demeaningly. "Ya don't, and you might be jeopardizing ever giving my sister kids."

Paul opened his mouth to retort Jake's statement, but Rachel covered his mouth before he could say anything. "Alright, alright. Enough annoying my brother for one day. Out, you."

"Rach…"

"I'll see you tomorrow. I don't want your mom to eat you, so please be good, and just stay home tonight okay." He was about to protest again so Rachel kissed him. "Please?" she asked pulling away.

"Fine," Paul grumbled opening the front door. He got out onto the porch steps before asking, "You sure?"

"Yes – now go." She pointed her finger to his truck and waggled her fingers to mentally push him to his truck.

"Alright, I'm going. I'll call you later. Love you!"

"Love you, too!"

"Finally - he's gone!" Jacob sighed with relief as he plopped onto the couch.

"You could be friendlier." Rachel placed her hands on her hips and gave him a maternally-styled scolding look. "Besides, I thought you two were friends. I mean I know you two don't get along real well now with as volatile as you bother are but seriously…"

"Me and Paul?" Jake asked incredulously. "_He_ and I could never be friends. Even on our good days before all of this crap, we never got along, Rach. We might have gotten along slightly in like first grade but that was when everybody in class got along. Nah – I stick with my boys. Em and Quil are all I need." He got a faraway look – thinking about _her_ – before his face shifted back. Had Rachel blinked, she would have missed it entirely.

"Hey – what about the rest of us?" she teased.

Jake wrinkled his nose and stared at the ceiling before answering her. "I supposed you and the other guys'll do – not quite as awesome as my friends. Collin and Brady are kinda so-so – annoying as all get out but better than all the normals around here. At least they understand all this crap that we live with."

Rachel chuckled. The two younger boys were 'older' shifter than she was, but they were so young that their immaturity outweighed the length of time they had been shifting compared with Rachel's wolf age. Needless to say, they pretty much drove everyone except each other insane when they were on patrol.

"Leah, on the other hand," Jake began before catching his sister's intense glare. "Never mind. Dunno why you get down with the psycho chick anyways."

"For your information, she's been through a lot and she could use a little love from somebody. And she's my best friend," Rachel defended haughtily. The two women might be on the outs at the present time, but best friends were best friends until the end.

"Speaking of the dynamic duo, here they come," Jake changed the subject. The siblings heard the two boys singing grow louder as they got closer. The two were always bugging someone in the pack – typically Leah because she was so easy to annoy. They loved to harass Paul but he was just too big to mess with cause they could get hurt, and in all honesty, they looked up to him with respect.

Their latest antics involved serenading her with She-Wolf by Shakira whenever she was around. It had not taken long for their antics to extend to their other wolf sister, and so now, whenever Rachel was around, too, she received the song from the boys. Leah and Rachel hated the song, and they agreed that one of these days, when they least expected it, they would get back at Collin and Brady.

"You two morons, done yet?" Rachel hollered, interrupting them from the middle of the chorus. The duo came barging through the front door without even the slightest courtesy of a knock.

"Rach, you know you really do, in the cockles of your heart, appreciate our serenading you. You just don't want to admit to us or the other guys that you do," Collin told her with a not so sincere smile on his face that was supposed to warm one's heart. Instead, it just made Rachel want to gag.

"And besides Paul might get jealous if he realized how happy we make you. You know you think we're sexy," Brady tacked on with a flirty wink.

"Sexy? That's doubtful, _boys_," Rachel sneered haughtily. She had tried hard to be nice to the two boys when she had first met them considering their age compared with the rest of the pack. However, it did not take long for Rachel to realize just how much they did not need her sympathy. They held their own quite well with the older boys. The only concern may have been any physical harm done to them because of just how annoying they could be at times.

"I like older women," Collin commented walking closer to his pack sister.

"You'll have to get through Paul, genius." Rachel smoothly walked away from the boys. They may seem like innocent young teenagers in the early years of puberty but they were the complete opposite. If anything, they had truly begun to act the age that they looked which was much, much older than they really were chronologically.

"You done talking smack about my sister. I'm happy to knock your teeth in, gentleman," Jake spoke harshly from the couch, not looking up from the television. His voice was deadly serious.

"Chill, man. We're just kidding. You know that. So does Rach – right?" Collin asked her. His face was instantly that of his real age.

"Yeah. It's okay, Jakester. It's fine. They're just messing around." Collin and Brady both nodded profusely.

"You guys ready for patrol?"

"Yup," the boys answered together. They bother were bouncing from one foot to the other on the balls of their feet.

"Alright, alright, chill out. I don't want to have a nervous breakdown as soon as we shift," Rachel told them both as she walked out the door in front of them. The boys followed closely behind her. At times, it seemed that these two were like twins joined at the hip.

Both boys took off into the woods to shift. Rachel was still uncomfortable being stark naked in front of all of the pack boys so she always waited until they had already shifted to strip and shift for patrol.

_Alrighty, we're here_, Rachel told Embry, Quil, and Paul. _You guys can head out. _

_Thanks, guys!_ Embry replied.

Quil gave the newcomers a chin up gesture as seen through Embry's eyes. _See you guys later._ Jake's best friends appeared through the woods passing Rachel, Collin, and Brady on the way to the Black house.

_Have way too much fun, boys. And take care of Rach._

_Hey, genius. I'm listening._

_I know, babe. Just making sure these two take care of ya. I know Jar will._

_Thanks, man!_ Jared finally piped up.

_Yeah, whatever. Just keep Rach out of trouble._

_Still listening, stupid._

_I still know, babe. Love you! See you tomorrow, _Paul told them before shifting back outside of his home just as his mother was calling him for dinner.

_No babying me, got it you three?_

_Yes ma'am. _Collin and Brady answered simultaneously.

_Do they always do that, Jared?_ Rachel asked, directing her thoughts towards Jared.

_Yup. _

_Great, _Rachel drawled out.

_Collin, Brady, you guys head north and keep your noses open. Rachel, you're with me._

The boys acknowledged Jared and took off north. Rachel paid attention to Jared to figure out where he was and focused on the landmarks around her pack mate.

Within minutes, Rachel was with Jared and the two were heading south along the coast.

Their minds were open to Brady and Collin but they were able to hold a conversation separate from the younger boys. It was just a buzz in the background just as it was for Brady and Collin with the other two. _How long have you and Paul known each other?_

_Since like preschool. He punched me cause I 'borrowed' his toy. Our teacher totally freaked, and we just loved it. Been best friends ever since. _Rachel could see the memory clearly - little Paul punching little Jared over the little toy car. The teacher was then scolding the duo, who were smirking at the floor as she gave them their punishment. The boys then looked at each other after their teacher went to the front of the room. They smiled at one another, shook hands, and began playing with the little toy car. Rachel saw a speedy slideshow of the boys growing up until their first shift. The last image she saw was the boys going to the tattoo shop with Sam to get their pack tattoos.

_Pack tattoos?_ She immediately remembered that all of the pack had the tattoo. She had been shifting long enough to deserve the tattoo. _Why haven't I gotten one yet?_

_I dunno. We could mention it to Sam if you want. I mean only if you want it. _His mind immediately went to Paul.

_Well, this is one of those things he's gonna have to deal with. I am a member of the pack just as much as any of you. _She grimaced at the thought of dealing with Paul because Jared was right. He would not be happy. _But that's something to focus on later._

They both stopped in their track at a new scent from all of the others. _Vampire,_ they thought together, the four wolves wrinkling their noses together as a group as scent burned their noses.

Brady and Collin were immediately on the same wavelength. _We're on our way._ Jared immediately sent up a howl to call in back up. The four could handle it but it would better to have more help – particularly with the fact that Collin, Brady, and Rachel were still relatively young.

_See if you can catch up, boys._ Rachel raspberried in her head at the three boys and took off like a bullet.

She had never pushed herself to her fastest in wolf form and it was exhilarating to finally be pushing it. Rachel immediately caught the leech's scent and made sure she focused on it so that her pack mates could get a good whiff of it.

_Slow it down a bit, Rach. Don't want'cha to catch up with the bloodsucker unawares, _Jared told her.

She hated not actually having an experience yet handling a vampire. The boys quickly reminded her of what Sam had shown her shortly after she first shifted. _Just reminders_ was all that came from her boyfriend's best friend.

Seconds later, the four could feel Sam, Paul, and Jake shift and join the collective consciousness. _This should be enough_, Sam decided as he surveyed the situation from the patrol and how many wolves they would need to fight this leech. The newcomers focused on the landmarks around their pack siblings and took off in their direction.

Collin and Brady immediately took up behind Jared and Rachel. Jake quickly caught up with them as well, soon followed by Sam and Paul. Sam took point with Jake and Paul falling on his flanks. Collin and Brady took the rear with Jared and Rachel in the middle of the group.

_Rachel, scout it out, _Sam ordered. _But do not engage_.

_Alrighty_, Rachel answered before pulling out of formation and pulling ahead of the boys. She groaned at Paul's concern the pack felt as she pulled out of formation.

_Paul, she's fine. Focus on the task at hand_, Sam ordered, this time the alpha timbre taking hold. Paul grumbled and did as he was told begrudgingly.

Rachel kept her eyes peeled as she searched the forest for the leech. She was closing in quickly as the stench grew stronger. Rachel pushed her legs harder, stretching them, and punishing her muscles forward. It felt so good and the wind blowing through her fur made her feel so free – freer than she'd ever been.

All of a sudden, Rachel was on top of the leech. It was a male bloodsucker who screeched upon seeing Rachel. She growled fiercely at him before putting on the brakes and swinging around.

_Rachel, do not engage! _Sam told her sharply.

She pulled back, dodging out of the vampire's attempt at grabbing her. He cursed and took off after her. She ran in a circle around him to distract him. She jumped around on her feet still dodging him. She continued to move around swiftly keeping him focused on her so the boys could get to the leech. If anything, it was almost like a dance, but not quite. Wolves just don't pulling off dancing well.

The leech saw what she was doing and turned toward her once again. He completely stopped and focused on her, pulling his lips over his teeth. She turned and took off running in the opposite direction.

Apparently, she wasn't quick enough in that because the leech was immediately on top of her. He grabbed her left hind leg and jerked with enough force to cause Rachel to howl in pain. She felt the dreaded sensation of possible blacking out as the sound of bones cracking ripped through the air like a gunshot. It was all she could do to stay conscious as he crushed the lower part of her leg with both of his hands.

The others showed up in that instant and Paul and Jake viciously ripped the leech away from her as a unit. Jared was instantly at her side pushing up on the side of her torso to keep her standing and so she would not put any weight on her injured leg. Sam followed right behind his beta to help their newest pack mate. _Lay down, Rachel. The guys will get the leech taken care of her, _Sam instructed quietly and gently. He pulled away to help the others destroy the abomination as Jared helped ease her to the ground.

She moaned in agony – her pain flowing through the entire pack mind. Despite the terrible, fiery sensation, she almost felt peaceful as her brothers sent comforting thoughts to her. Rachel barely heard the pack members viciously ripping the vampire into pieces to avenge her injury and protect their territory. She tried to avoid thinking about the intense pain in her leg and so tried to focus on the events going on around her. She struggled to hear it but felt satisfied hearing the crunch of the enemy's granite hide under her brothers' sturdy jaws.

Sam instantly lit the fire as the others finished off the parasite and purple smoke rose thickly through the air, transforming the vampire into the pile of ash as he should be. The stench was appalling but gratifying as their enemy was vanquished. This feeling spread through all of the wolves as they howled their victory to the fading light.

Once the leech was taken care of, the others huddled around their fallen sister. Rachel tried to stand up but collapsed as her back leg gave out because of the awkward balance. She howled her suffering, Paul immediately at her side with worry.

_Rachel! Rach! _He immediately knelt beside her head, nuzzling her face with his soft, warm muzzle. They all felt her pain, but Paul's was the most intense due to his love for her. He felt it just as much as she did.

_We need to get back to La Push_, Sam said firmly. _Now! _

Jake helped his sister to stand up by pushing up on her side as Jared had before. Paul got down on the ground and low crawled under her belly so he could carry her back on his back. He stood up slowly and felt her weight begin to press down on his body.

_You might wanna lose some weight, Rachel, _Brady teased lightly. _Poor Paul._

Paul growled lowly and Jake promptly nipped Brady's heels in anger. Rachel chuckled slightly at Brady's banter. Jake. _It's alright, guys. He's just teasing. Thanks, though._ _I appreciate it, my boys._ She smiled, in her mind's eye, encouragingly at her brother and her imprint.

_Brady, Collin, run ahead and tell Em and Billy what's happened. Have Em meet us over at Billy's._

_Sam, I'm fine. It's just sprained or somethin', _Rachel tried to tell him. It wasn't a big deal – just a little pain. She always tended to be a bit dramatic when she was injured and now was not the time to be dramatic. And it never was as bad as her pain ever was.

_I've been doing this long enough to know that the bloodsucker did some serious damage to your back leg. If it is not set properly, it will heal incorrectly and you'll be screwed. _

The two boys still walked with the others, unsure of how to proceed. _GO!_ Sam barked at them, compelling them to immediate action. The younger boys raced ahead to let everyone know what happened.

The journey home was slow and tedious. Jake and Jared helped to keep Rachel centered on Paul's back while Sam found them the best path through the forest back to La Push. The longer they were out, the more Rachel could feel her leg beginning to heal, and it most certainly did not feel like it was healing right.

She winced as they walked by some bushes and Jake bumped her leg slightly trying to avoid walking in them. He instantly apologized profusely but Paul still let out a warning growl at Jake before Rachel could hush him. She chastened him lightly with a nuzzle to his shoulder before settling in again to focus on anything but her pain. However, it grew more and more until she finally passed out from the intensity of it.

* * *

A voice was calling to Rachel – her favorite voice. She tried to reach out to him, to call to him, but nothing came out. All she knew was the screaming in her leg, and it hurt like nothing she had ever felt before. Then all of a sudden she could see the backs of her eye lids and his voice was much clearer. "Rachel, babe… We need you to shift back so we can take you inside so Em can take a look at you."

Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and then back forward as she wrenched her lids open. She looked up to find her brother and her imprint in human form huddled around her. Paul was stroking her head gently while Jake knelt protectively behind her head. "C'mon babe."

She motioned for them to leave with a paw.

"One of us has to stay to help you. It's hard to shift back when you're in so much pain," Jake told her. His voice had taken on a slightly broken tone. It was one thing for him to be hurt, but it was a completely different thing to watch someone else hurt like this – especially your sister who you've looked up to as a stronger person deserving respect.

"Maybe we should get Leah," Paul suggested looking over at the other female wolf. "Maybe she'd be more comfortable with that." Leah stood off to the side, slightly away from the rest of the pack who had all congregated just outside the house. "Rach?" She moved her head slightly under her imprinter's hand.

Jake nodded his agreement as well. "Leah, would you mind helping Rach. She wants her privacy."

Leah nodded shortly at him before walking over. Paul and Jake reluctantly joined the other guys and they all walked around the house to Jake's shed out back.

"Hey, girly. You know, you should avoid their arms, but I guess it was only your first time out with an actual leech to deal with." Leah knelt next to Rachel and grimaced slightly. "I wish I'd have been there. I … I dunno what to say, Rach." She stopped for a moment as Rachel was overcome by the pain once more. "Sorry, I'm supposed to be helping you calm down. Okay. Remember when we were kids and we always used to go out to the secret place and we would have a little tea party. Remember the one time we went out and made mud tea and our moms totally freaked when we came home covered in mud."

Rachel's mind drifted back to that day. It had been rather ridiculous. They had gone to both Sue and Sarah to find out if they could take some tea or sugar with the pitcher of water they were taking out to the secret place. Both women had denied the girls' request, but they were creative. They figured why not make their own tea when they got there. So they did. And they made a huge mess. Rachel remembered that day particularly well because she had been wearing her favorite yellow sundress. She had worn that dress as much as Sarah had allowed her to that summer. And then that day, she ruined her dress. Sarah had tried desperately to get the mud stains out, but there was nothing to be done to salvage the dress.

Her mind relaxed considerably so Rachel focused on transforming. She did so and immediately the pain was upon her again. Leah covered Rachel with the quilt Billy had sent out for her. She screamed in agony as the broken bones re-broke because of how her body had to transform. The others were there immediately whispering comforting nothings to her. Paul gently pulled her into his warm embrace and carried her back to her house.

Rachel saw her father sitting in his chair in the yard watching with concern etched across his features. Sue stood behind him gripping his chair tightly. The younger wolves were standing there as well with Quil and Embry. They all looked on in concern and gave her encouraging looks.

Momentarily, she was in her bedroom being laid down on her soft mattress. As soon as she was down, Emily moved into the room and shoved the boys outside.

"Hey, Rach. How are you feeling?"

"Like I've been squished by a leech," she said between clenched teeth

"Alright, I'm gonna take a look at your leg, okay?"

Rachel nodded and gritted her teeth. Emily gently touched Rachel's leg before prodding it lightly. Rachel bit her lip tightly to fight back the scream and immediately tasted blood from how hard she bit down. Her advanced hearing allowed her to hear her father's heavy breathing outside and Paul's pacing as they waited in agony. She laid her head back on the pillow and focused on not crying out.

"Here. Try this. That'll help you to not hurt yourself further." Emily handed Rachel a rolled up wash cloth. She placed it into Rachel's mouth before smoothing back Rachel's hair maternally. No wonder Sam had imprinted on her – she was the perfect mother figure for the pack not to mention she had a great bed side manner.

"Sam…" she called quietly. Sam was immediately in the room by her side. "Thankfully most of the bones are in the correct places, but you're gonna have to adjust a few." Sam nodded grimly. He hated having to do this but it was absolutely necessary.

"Rachel, I'm sorry, but this gonna hurt some," Sam apologized. His face looked like he was in a great deal of pain.

"S'alright. I'll be fine. Just get it over with so I can get better."

Sam looked over at Emily and she made some movements with her hands just above Rachel's leg. Rachel closed her eyes and focused on the rag in her mouth. All of a sudden a searing pain shot through her leg and to the rest of her body. She bit down hard on the rag, but her scream still rang out through the house. Once again she glimpsed black, tried to focus on the ceiling and Emily's face talking to her until the image blurred and the world went black once more.

* * *

Rachel woke up with a killer headache. Although, maybe it wasn't a headache, more like her whole body was in pain. She tried to sit up and doubled over from the pain that shot up her leg. "DANG IT!" She looked down at her leg and remembered what had happened on patrol.

"Good – you're awake." Emily came into Rachel's room with a plate and what looked like food. "I need you to eat something so you can take some pain meds. I know they may not help a lot, but I'm sure they're better than nothing." Emily looked down at the medication she held in her other hand with little hope.

"Thank you, Em – for everything," Rachel whispered out.

"You're welcome. I'm happy to help you out. Eat up." Emily handed her friend a cracker which she quickly scarfed down as well as the next two Emily gave to her. "Need help taking this? I can get one of the guys or your dad to come in and help you," Emily told her.

"Nah." Rachel winced as she rolled onto her side so she could take the pills with the water Emily had sitting on the nightstand. She swallowed them down and rolled back over onto her back once more. Once she was settled, Emily sat down on Rebecca's bed and Rachel asked of the other woman, "Where did you learn that, Em?"

"Oh, I haven't always just been the little Makah girl marrying the Quileute Alpha." Her eyes unfocused as she remembered her life before it had changed so dramatically. "Before I met Sam, I was content with school – a lot like you were." She looked at Rachel knowingly before continuing on with her anecdote. "I was just starting medical school when I came out to La Push to see Leah. She had been so worried about Sam after he had mysteriously disappeared a few months before, but he had become even more closed off in recent weeks. We were going to have a girls weekend and just have some fun. Then Sam came over to talk to Leah because he heard that she was leaving for Port Angeles for the weekend. He was extremely distraught. I suggested Leah ignore him and just leave it alone, but she insisted on seeing him. Before she went down, I went down to tell him off because I'd had quite enough of what he was putting Leah through. And then _it _happened… It was the most wonderful day of my life as well as the most awful day of my life," she mused quietly. "I wonder what would've happened had I not done that. It could have ended so many different ways. And maybe Lee would have been happy. Sorry – you only asked for a little bit, and I gave you a novel." Emily chuckled with a sheepish smile.

"That's alright, Em. Sometimes, it's nice to just talk about something other than pack life. So, you were a nurse?"

"Nope. I was gonna be a doctor. I loved taking care of people, and I was really, really good at it. Now, I just use it for different purposes." She sighed happily. Life had turned out well for her for the most part.

"That's pretty sweet. I just never pegged you as a career woman," Rachel commented with a smile.

"Really?" Emily asked confused. "What would you have pegged me as?"

"A stay at home mom. Even when we were kids, that's what I'd always figured out you'd end up being."

"Huh," she murmured. "I guess your belief turned out to be right."

Rachel laid there silently staring at the ceiling before asking, "Do you miss it?"

"All the time, but I wouldn't trade Sam for anything in the world. I love my life. And I love the pack beyond belief. I just miss my work, and I wish I knew more." Emily stared off into nothingness. "I should get going. Sam wants to get home. I'll check in on you tomorrow. Don't take too many pills, alright? I'm not sure if they'll help or how too many would impact your body."

"Yes, _Mom_," Rachel answered sarcastically. Emily shook her head and laughed lightly at the other woman.

"Rest, and please stay put. You will be better soon, but you have to wait long enough to heal." Rachel nodded with a slight smile before the other woman left.

She laid their quietly, hoping to hear what was going on in the other room. She could hear a slight scramble in the living room as Emily joined them. It sounded like only Billy, Jake, Paul, and Sam were still out there. Sam had probably sent the other boys home to rest. It wasn't like they needed to be there.

Shortly after the front door closed, indicating the departure of Sam and Emily, Billy came rolling into Rachel's bedroom.

"Hi, Sweetheart. How are you feeling?" Billy asked as he maneuvered around the other bed and to his younger daughter's bed where she lay. He stroked her gently, comfortingly.

"I'm alright. It hurts a lot but I've been through worse. Em gave me some pain meds to but it doesn't seem to be helping much yet. Although, I just took 'em so maybe they will in a little bit," Rachel explained.

"I'm sorry, Sweetie. Sam said you should be fine by tomorrow sometime, but until then holler if you need anything, okay?"

"That's what Em said, too. Thank you, Daddy." She paused before adding her next statement quietly. "It was really stupid. The leech just grabbed my back leg before I could get away. I mean I heard the guys in the back of my head giving my suggestions but the adrenaline rush seemed to fuzz everything else out. I should have been paying more attention." Her voice rose as she berated herself harshly with a slap to the forehead to finish it all off.

"It was your first time out with an actual leech," Paul reminded her. "You made a rookie mistake. It wasn't a big deal, and the consequences weren't too bad. Ya learn a lesson and move on." She hadn't noticed him leaning on the doorframe, smiling at her gently.

"But you're right, Sis, you do need to be more careful in the future. You're lucky you weren't hurt too badly and none of the others got hurt," Jake added as he walked in to the bedroom. "And it was pretty stupid." He winked at his sister. It was not unkind nor was it entirely teasing, however.

"JACOB!" Billy exploded circling around at his son. "If you have nothing good to say, please leave. Your sister understands what happened. You do not need to add to it," Billy finished sharply.

"I was only joking," Jacob answered moodily.

"I DO NOT CARE. Do not speak to your sister that way ever again. She may be your pack mate, but you will not treat her in that way. She is your sister first and foremost, and I expect you to treat her with the same amount of respect as you always have. Is that understood?" Billy finished sharply. His dark eyes dared his son to challenge him. Jacob rolled his eyes as his father spoke.

By the time Billy finished, Paul was shaking in the door frame. He grabbed Jake roughly and shoved him out the door, shutting the door, with Jacob outside, with a slam.

"Don't mind him. He's just a twit." Paul walked over to the edge of her bed and sat on the edge of the foot of her bed.

"Thanks, Paul. You should probably head home – again. Your mom is gonna be wondering where you disappeared to again. I'd like my future mother-in-law to actually like me – not hate me for contributing to her son's delinquency," she teased lightly with a smile.

His face changed dramatically. "Who cares what my mom thinks? She's never cared before so why should I?" he replied stiffly. His family, even in light conversation, was still a sore subject. And things must not have gone well when he went home earlier. "In any case, you're right. I should get going. I'll be by in the morning." His face was still guarded but a little softer. He knelt over Rachel and place a chaste kiss to her forehead and then to her lips, remembering full well that her father sat right next to them. He stood and walked over to the door. "Billy…" he nodded to the elder before leaving the room and the house. Rachel heard the air transform outside as he changed into a wolf to run home.

Rachel and Billy sat in quiet for a moment. "Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"What's the deal with Paul's family? He is always upset when we talk about his family. That's part of the reason he didn't want me to go over with Jake to the reception."

Billy sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "You know I can't disclose that kind of thing, Rachie. It is a privilege to be on the council and is one I will not abuse." He paused for a moment to think, before continuing. "Remember what we talked about the other night. You two need communicate."

Rachel groaned. "But Dad," she whined, "he won't talk to me about his problems – still."

"He may not be ready yet. You have carried your baggage for a long time, but Paul has a lifetime's worth of baggage, if not more. All I will tell you is that you two have a lot to work through but in the end it will be worth it so please keep trying. I want badly to tell you, Sweetheart, and these moments for me are difficult because I have to allow my role as an elder overrule my role as a father." He sighed and stopped for a moment as though he were trying to decide if he should speak further. This was a touchy subject, not sure one he wanted to share this with his daughter.

"I want to be candid with you. I was not happy to learn of him imprinting on you." Rachel immediately bristled and Billy put up a hand to calm her. "I want the best for both of my girls. That's why I encouraged you to go to college. At first, I could not understand how the two of you could possibly belong together, let alone be perfect for one another. He comes from such a different background than you."

"You haven't ever had a problem with Sam's background," Rachel commented tartly. She shifted slightly to look away from her father somewhat and towards the wall. The movement shifted the make-shift splint moved her leg causing her to wince at the sudden onslaught of painful sensation shooting through her nervous system. Billy was instantly concerned and stroked her gently as the pain began to subside.

Once she seemed to be alright again, Billy responded. "There is a different. Sam's mother encouraged him to have a life different than that of his father's. She encouraged him to be around those who would impact his life positively. Paul's entire family is along the lines of men like Joshua Uley. Paul has not been given the same opportunities as Sam which is why he is so close to Jared's family. And I do not have a problem with anyone, including the Meskas, as a member of the council, but as a father, the story is completely different."

"Because of his background, I did not believe there was any way he could be good enough for you. But now as I watch the two you, I understand why the spirits were correct in putting you two together. You calm him and make him into a better man, and he makes you stronger. Each day you are with him, you remind me more and more of your mother." Billy's broke at the last statement.

Rachel's eyes glistened with tears. This was the highest compliment he could have ever paid her. "Thank you, Daddy. That means … so very much to me," she choked out. "I only hope everyday to become more like her even though I know I'll never get there."

"It's not about becoming your mother; you need to be your own person. There are just so many things that remind me of your mother. And honey, I just pray every day that you become the best woman you can become no matter what life throw at you, and you have impressed me beyond belief." Rachel smiled her thanks. "I'm gonna let you rest now. Get some sleep."

"I love you, Daddy."

"Love you, too, Rachie."

* * *

Hope you all enjoyed the chase. I thought it would be good to get Rachel involved in pack stuff a little more extensively so out came a vamp chase. lol! Let me know what you think about it – I was a little nervous as it is my first real action scene of any kind. Not really detailed but I thought it was okay. Please let me know… ; ) Virtual cookies can be handed out … or maybe even Paul will come say hi. Lol!

And I gave Emily a little background. She would have been doing something with her life before Sam waltzed into it. Emily just walked away from medical school before she got too far along. And for all the impending questions about what about Jake's injury in Eclipse, it was too severe for her to handle. Minor things like resetting a bone in a leg compared with major things like the entire right side of one's body being crushed are two very different things. ; ) lol!

Head to the little button at the bottom of the page and click – then leave a little message with anything – your thoughts on the chapter, how adorable Paul (or Jake) is, whatever… Just leave a message! XD


	10. Honeymoon's Over

Here is the next chapter – finally. I'm still working on getting earlier stories beta'ed but I'll keep updating in the meantime. So, here is the next chapter. Enjoy everybody!

* * *

THE HONEYMOON'S OVER

* * *

Rachel was stuck in bed through most of the following morning. Emily came over to check on her midmorning to check up on her patient.

"Good morning. You had anything to eat?"

"Yeah, Em. Dad brought me some breakfast. How much longer am I gonna be stuck here?" Rachel asked, propping up on her elbows. She was getting rather stiff and was just rearing to get out and stretch.

"Let me just take a look at you real quick." Rachel lay back down, and Emily quickly took a look at Rachel's leg. She looked at the leg, poking around in spots and moving her leg around as gently as she could. Rachel winced a couple of times as Emily moved about.

"Well, I think you'll be fine," Emily finally pronounced. "You can probably start moving around, but I would wait a couple of days before you start shifting and get back into regular patrols. I'll let Sam know, okay?"

"Alrighty. So, you're saying I can get up?" Rachel asked hopefully.

"Yes – just take it easy. I don't want you running or doing a whole lot. I'd still like you to stay off it but you can walk a little. Just do what feels comfortable for your leg and your pain." Emily smiled and squeezed Rachel's hand. "Do you need anything from me?"

"I don't think so. Do you know where Paul is?"

"I think Sam has him on patrol. Do you want him to come over?"

"Please."

"Okay. Well, I will send Paul over, and Sue is bringing over some dinner for you guys. Here let me help you up," she offered as she noticed Rachel sitting up in bed.

Rachel threw her legs over the edge of the bed. She stood up slowly and carefully while Emily gripped Rachel's elbow to help the she-wolf maintain her balance. "I'm good, Em. Thanks for helping me."

"Want your book?" Emily asked noticing Rachel's book on the nightstand between the two beds.

"Yeah. That'd be great."

Rachel slowly hobbled out to the living room, followed by Emily. Once Rachel was settled on the couch, Billy came out of the kitchen and settled into his own chair followed by Sam.

"What's the plan, Sweetheart?" Sam asked his fiancée.

"Well, Rachel can begin moving about but carefully. And no shifting." She glanced between Sam and Rachel with a mother's stern look.

"Sounds good. I'll keep her out of trouble," Billy told Emily while grinning over at his daughter.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Sure, Dad. But you'll have to catch me first – even at this point."

Emily laughed at the pair. Sam looked over at Rachel, and told her firmly, "Do what Em told you, Rachel. I do not want you shifting until Em gives you the go ahead, alright?"

She nodded at her alpha. "I'll behave, Sam. I wanna get better so I can get back to normal."

Sam nodded and looked down at Emily. "Well, we have to get going," Sam addressed Billy this time.

"Like I told Rachel, Sue is going to bring over dinner for the two of you and Jake," Emily told them with a smile. The two walked out of the door hand in hand after They both thanked Emily.

"So, what do you want to do, couch potato?"

"I dunno, Dad. Maybe just read some." Rachel held up her book as she spoke.

"Mind if I turn the game on?" Billy asked.

"That's fine. I might just fall asleep. Oh, and I asked Em to send Paul over later. So, he'll be by later." Rachel reached for her book sitting on the coffee table and snuggled up under the blanket Emily had left her with.

A bit later, Billy was shaking Rachel awake. "Sorry Dad – must've fallen asleep."

"It's alright, Sweetheart. I just wanted to tell you I'm going over to Sue's. I figured it would be smart to go get the dinner she made us and say hi. She's already doing so much for us."

"Alright, Daddy," she mumbled. He kissed her forehead before wheeling over to the front door. Just as he got to the door, the door opened up to Paul.

"Hey Billy - Rach here?"

"Yeah. She's on the couch. C'mon on in. I was just going out," Billy answered. He was doing better with Paul being around but he still was having some difficulty adjusting to Paul, although his admonition to Rachel seemed to have improved Billy's attitude towards the young man a great deal.

"Thanks." Paul walked through the front door as soon as the older man was out the door and onto the porch. "Hey Babe," he greeted Rachel.

"Hi," she responded sleepily. Rachel yawned and stretched a little before pain shot through her leg from overexerting it.

Paul rolled his eyes at her mockingly. "Shouldn't do stuff if it hurts."

"Oh ha ha – you're so funny." She pushed herself up so she was sitting up against the armrest so Paul could sit down on the opposite end of the couch. "Do you want anything to eat? I think there are some chips in the kitchen."

He nodded and headed straight into the kitchen. Paul came back with a bag of Doritos. He plopped down at her feet and moved them into his lap next to the Doritos. "How you feeling, Rachie?"

"Alright – sore but I'll live. I can't wait to get back on my feet. I don't know how normal people do this for months on end."

Paul chuckled and turned the television on to the game Billy had been watching moments ago. Paul then began gently rubbing each of Rachel's feet alternately with one hand and putting Doritos in his mouth. "This okay?" he asked between bites.

She nodded with a small smile to him. "If you keep that up, I'm gonna be asleep," she mumbled.

Paul smiled in return. "That'd be alright. You could use it with all that healing."

"But you didn't come over to watch me sleep."

"Yes I did. I'm here for whatever you need to do. Just go to sleep."

Rachel's head dipped towards the back cushion on the couch and within minutes she was sound asleep. Before she could fall asleep too deeply, Rachel felt herself being moved. She opened her eyes just a tiny bit to see Paul carrying her back to her room. She rested her head onto his shoulder. He whispered for her to go back to sleep. He began murmuring to her in Quileute and kissed her forehead tenderly. Rachel's eyes began to drift close again and as soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out like a light.

* * *

Rachel awoke several hours later to a howl in the forest. She could barely hear it, but her inner wolf certainly heard it. She sat up in bed and blinked her eyes, looking at the alarm clock to see what time it was. _3:16. What could Sam want right now?_ she wondered. Her leg instantly protested her movments. "Dang nabbit. Why can't this just get better?"

"Rach?" The door opened to reveal Paul peeking in at her. "Hey."

"Do you know what Sam wants?" she asked simply as she shook her head to take her mind's focus off her pain.

Paul narrowed his eyes at her as he noticed her actions. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Have you talked to Sam?" Rachel persisted.

"Not yet. Just wanted to check on you before I head out – hang here and I'll be back in a bit."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Sam doesn't want you out yet."

"Brady and Collin are out with Sam, right?"

"Yeah. I'll fill you in when I get back."

Rachel looked over her imprint who returned her gaze intensely. Her eyes then took notice of a stain on his shirt collar. "What happened to your shirt?"

Paul hesitated before answering, "Ahhh. Nothing."

"Nothing? That doesn't look like nothing. Looks like you and my brother got into it again. I'll find out," she told him, referencing their wolf telepathy. "What happened?"

"Uh – I – uh – he kind of freaked out cause I was here. It wasn't a big deal. He just snapped."

"What did you say?" she asked tartly. Her brother was a little psycho right now, but Paul had a knack for making him mad.

"I kinda taunted him a bit. Then he took me off guard and punched me. No biggie."

Rachel rolled her eyes. She would give Jake some crap about it later, but for now, she would let it go. "You should get going. Sam's gonna need you, and I expect an update as soon as you guys are done. Bring some of the guys, too."

Paul nodded and walked over to the bed. He brought her face towards his and gave her a chaste kiss before pulling away. "Love you."

"Love you too, Paul. Be careful," she called out after him. She heard him walk out the door, the screen door slamming with its lighter noise behind the solid thud of the front door.

_This just stinks. Why'd this all have to happen now?_ Rachel groaned and smacked the pillow as hard as she could. This was just downright frustrating.

Rachel looked around for a moment before noticing her book was no long in her room. It was still out in the living room so Rachel decided to move out there to get it. She slowly worked her way off her bed. This time when she walked, Rachel noticed that it hurt less than it had that morning when she had hobbled her way out to the living room. By the time she had gotten to the living room, Rachel couldn't keep going so she settled in on the couch.

Her mind was only partially on her book, though. In the back of her mind, she wondered what was going on with the pack. When she heard Sam howl once more, she had to fight the urge to go out and find them. Sam had been firm about her staying behind until Emily told her she was good. What could be going on out there that Sam's howl had that kind of pull and order in it? In the meantime, Rachel tried to refocus on her book. She reread the page she was on several times until she gave up and turned the television on. Rachel channel surfed until she heard her father coming up into the front yard.

She heard Jake in the front lawn talking with her dad. The actual words were light, but the tone of the conversation was tense. Rachel focused on the television, trying to give them their privacy. She heard them come into the house, and they began to converse further. Then Jake started talking about only going to weddings.

When she heard Billy say, "Jacob don't. It's not worth it," Rachel began to work her way off the couch. She left the television on, hoping her brother wouldn't hear her movement. She then heard a bit of scuffle followed by Billy hollering after him.

"Dad, what's going on?"

"I don't know, but your brother took the phone line."

Rachel immediately took off hobbling out the door. Her father called after her to come back. She glimpsed Jacob pulling his bike out of his garage and hopping on. "JAKE! JAKE!" she yelled.

She stopped just as her leg almost gave out. Billy wheeled out behind her. "Let him go. He's a grown man, and there is nothing we can do."

"What's he doing, Dad? What happened?"

"I'm not sure, but it has something to do with Bella and the Cullens. I'm guessing _they_ must be back."

Rachel groaned and put her hand on the back of his chair. She took the weight off her leg and simply used it to keep her balanced. "Did he go over there?"

"He didn't say, but that's what I suspect."

"We need to do something," she cried. She began to hobble off in the direction of the Clearwater house.

"Rachel, stop. You are in no condition to be doing that. Go in the house. We can't do anything about Jacob. You asked Paul to come over, right?"

She nodded.

"Then we'll wait until he gets here. Let's go inside and eat the food that Sue sent over."

"Dad…"

"Rachel…" Billy responded firmly. "Go inside."

Rachel sighed heavily and began hobbling up to the house. Billy wheeled in behind his daughter.

"I'll get us a snack. Go sit down."

Rachel did as her father told her. Sometimes, he truly seemed like he should be the alpha rather than Sam. She chuckled at this. Once more, she settled onto the couch.

Right after Billy brought the box of cookies into the living room, Rachel heard loud voices coming in the direction of the house. "The guys are here," she announced.

"Come on in, boys," Billy hollered knowing they would hear him and in came the five oldest pack members.

"Billy, where's Jake?" Sam asked immediately as he began to pace. Embry and Quil leaned on the wall while Jared sat down in front of the couch with Paul with Paul right in front of Rachel's upper body.

"I don't know. As soon as he arrived here, he took off. I tried to speak with him and Rachel tried to catch him, but he ignored us both," Billy explained. Sam's pacing came to a halt and he swore loudly as he ran a hand through his hair in frustration. Rachel winced at Sam's anger at her brother. She could understand Sam's anger, but she also understood where Jacob was coming from. He was heartbroken and doing the only thing he knew how to try to make the pain go away.

Rachel looked up and noticed that Seth and Leah had arrive with their mother as well as Collin and Brady. Everyone got settled in the tense, uncomfortable silence, only disturbed by Sam's pacing on the creaky wooden floorboards.

"What happened?" Rachel asked timidly, almost afraid that if she spoke something would break.

The room's other occupants turned to Rachel. Quil and Embry shared a look of pain with their best friend's sister and the others all looked at her sympathetically.

"The Cullens are back," Sam began evenly. "Bella is sick."

The group sat quietly for a moment, taking in the seriousness of what Sam had just said. The inevitable event that had been on the horizon pass had finally surfaced. Now, little Bella Swan was one of them, and they had broken the treaty with the Quileutes to do it.

"We are not going to do anything. We will not breach the treaty over this. Bella made her choice knowingly and in full understanding of the consequences. They are not our enemies, and I do not believe it is worth losing any of our pack to them." Sam took a deep breath before continuing. "Jacob disagreed. I suppose he has chosen to attempt to fight the Cullens over this."

Rachel gasped, and Billy shook his head. "Can't we do anything?"

"No, Rachel. Jacob has made his choice, and we cannot – will not – advance against the Cullens unless they make the first move." Sam's voice echoed with the double . timbre of the alpha wolf. Rachel winced as did several of the other wolves. It was clear that even Sue and Billy felt the undertone that came with Sam's statement.

"In the meantime, we will run extra patrols. I want to be ready in case they decide to move against us because of Jacob's actions. Jared, Paul, Embry, Quil – patrol the Cullen border and at the first sign of trouble, I want to know about it. The rest of you, patrol our other borders and keep a close eye for any backup support for the Cullens. Be ready for anything. Understood?"

They all nodded their understanding and headed out. Paul gave Rachel a quick kiss and murmured, "We'll get him back."

Rachel stayed on the couch like she had all day. Sam walked over and knelt beside her. "Rachel, I know this is difficult but I need you to lay low. We may need you, and I want you fully recovered by tomorrow so rest up."

She nodded and wiped angrily at the tears that threatened to escape. She wasn't sure if she was angry at her brother or worried about him. Sam noticed and quickly told her, "We'll get him back. I know that for sure."

"Thanks, Sam."

"Hang in there. It's tough to be stuck on the sidelines." Sam patted her shoulder gently.

She grimaced and looked away. The alpha followed the rest of his pack out the Black front door and off to patrol their borders. As soon as he was gone, Rachel broke down into uncontrollable sobs. Billy was soon by her side rubbing her back as she curled into the couch. By now, his eyes were even moist for his son.

"How could he be so stupid?" Rachel eventually choked out. "He's not really that stupid."

"No, Honey. But love like his love for Bella is irrational, and he is not thinking clearly. He'll be alright, I'm sure of that much." His voice broke, showing his lack of confidence in his statement.

The two continued to share their mutual sadness until neither one could handle it any further and decided to do something else. They turned on the repeat of the Mariner's game from earlier that afternoon. Neither, of course, watched the game but it was on and at least provided some sort of distraction form the insanity known as Jacob.

* * *

Several hours later, a howl ripped through the air quickly followed by a succession of howls answering their alpha's call. "Maybe he's back, Dad." Rachel bounced off the couch and winced as her leg protested loudly. She shook it off and ran out the front door as quickly as her leg would let her.

Paul was just running into the front yard as Billy wheeled out the door. "What happened?" Billy called.

"He's back – in one piece," Paul hollered back with a grin.

Rachel's face lit up like a Christmas tree. She then asked "And?"

"Umm – well that's all I got. I guess I should go get more information, huh?"

Rachel chuckled and answered in the affirmative. "Go, go. We need more."

"I dunno if Sam'll let me come back. But if he does, I'll let you guys know. Don't worry about me or any of us. And Rach please behave. Don't make your poor dad beat you."

She laughed lightheartedly with her father. Paul grinned widely at Rachel and then Billy. "I should get going."

Paul waved and grinned once more before disappearing into the trees. Rachel heard him change into his wolf form and take off into the forest.

"Well, I think the day can only get better, Daddy." Rachel looked at her father on the porch and shrugged her shoulders. He chuckled lightly and waved for her to come inside.

* * *

There's chapter 10. Please review and let me know watcha think of my progress in the story. Is it natural? How's the flow? Am I going too fast through the story? Just give me a head's up. : )

And follow me on twitter – amiesuzie. : ) Have a wonderful few hours while you are awake!


	11. Splitting Up Is Hard To Do

Here is the next chapter – finally. I'm still working on getting earlier stories beta'ed but I'll keep updating in the meantime. So, here is the next chapter. Enjoy everybody!

* * *

SPLITTING IS HARD TO DO

* * *

Billy and Rachel watched television for several hours until Sue brought their dinner over later that evening.

Rachel's leg was doing much better, and she could feel it. She was getting very antsy and jumpy with all of the sitting around she was doing. Rachel had always been so active that when she got stuck on the couch like this, she felt she would go clinically insane.

"I'm sure the pack is fine," Billy said, noticing Rachel's fidgeting.

"I know. I just hate being stuck in here."

"Perhaps, you'll be good to go tomorrow," Billy commented hopefully.

"Maybe," Rachel muttered. Suddenly, Paul burst through the front door. Sue stood straight up, and if Billy could jump, he would have. Rachel looked on in wide eyes.

"What's wrong?" Rachel finally asked as they all just stared at the teenager.

"That idiot!" he yelled, slamming the door.

"What happened? I thought Jacob was back," Billy noted, confusion etching his features.

"Oh he was. Apparently, the leech knocked Bella up while they were on their honeymoon," he growled. By this time, he was shaking, and Rachel noticed that his figure was just beginning to blur. She had to calm him down and now!

She got up as quickly as she could and walked over to her imprint. "It's alright," she murmured just loud enough for him to hear and stroked his arm comfortingly.

Paul took a deep breath. "Sorry," he muttered to Billy. Rachel took his arm into her hand and led him back over to the couch. They sat down, and Billy nodded at Paul to continue.

"So Jake came back, and told us about the little monster. He said that it was just a baby so we shouldn't move against the Cullens and that Sam was right to begin with. We don't have any idea what it is or what kind of danger it poses to La Push and all the other humans. Sam decided we were gonna go up and take _it_ out now before it became a threat to anyone in the area. It also gave us the element of surprise we needed to take out the Cullens and get the job done." Paul's audience let out a collective gasp. "Jake continued to disagree with Sam as did Seth, but Bella chose this so if we have to sacrifice her so be it. We have many more to protect. Sam ordered Jake and Seth to come along because we needed their help. We headed out, and all of a sudden Jake just disappeared."

"Disappeared? Whaddya mean?" Rachel demanded.

"I mean we could hear him one second and the next he was gone – like into thin air. He was still standing there, but he wasn't connected with our thoughts. Sam said he could still hear him, though, but only if Jacob allowed it - seems Jake's gone alpha."

"How is that possible?" Rachel probed further. Billy's head was now resting in his hand.

"I guess it's cause it's in his blood to be the alpha. He took off for the Cullens to warn 'em so we called off our attack for now. On top of that, Seth and Leah went with Jake so they've got their own rogue pack now."

Billy and Rachel sat in complete silence, struck by what Paul had just told them. "So he's gone?"

Paul shrugged his shoulders. "He's joined up with the leeches." His face screwed up in anger once more before he let out a large huff. "I'm sorry."

"He makes his own choices," Billy said, lifting his head back up again. He moved himself over to his wheelchair. "I'll be in my room. I need some time alone. I'm sure we'll have a council meeting tomorrow to discuss this new development," he explained simply.

As soon as Billy was out of the room, Rachel leaned into Paul. "What are we gonna do?"

"I dunno, honey. I wish I knew. I wish I could haul him back here, but we can't. Billy's right – he's made his own choices and it just so happens to impact all of us rather than just him." Paul pulled Rachel into him so she was leaning on his shoulder and he had his arm wrapped tightly around her.

"What are the guys thinking?"

"Embry and Quil are peeved and feeling pretty betrayed. I mean what is he thinking? They're leeches. And she'll be one of 'em with a psycho kid. That is if she survives."

"Survives?"

"Yeah. She looks to be several months pregnant but they've only been gone for a little while. The little terror is growing superfast."

Rachel sighed, tears welling in her eyes. "He's always been so dedicated and loyal to what he loves," she murmured absentmindedly. "What about everybody else?"

"Sam's upset about Leah leaving and everyone else is just shell shocked. I'm the angry one. Jake's hurting you and Billy, and nobody messes with my girl and the people she cares about," Paul stated possessively.

Rachel smiled a little at this. "You make me laugh, silly boy. I might get rid of you if you keep up that kind of possessiveness," she joked lightly. "Good thing I love you."

Paul grinned at her and bent over and placed a kiss to her hair. "But it does make me mad when he hurts you like this. All you've ever been his loving and loyal to him while you've had to put up with is incessant whining about the girl and his moodiness."

"Now you make me sound like a saint which I'm not, and for the record, I did leave Dad and Jake as soon as I could after Mom died. Now quit making me sound so perfect."

"But you are…"

"Nope – perfect for you, but not perfect in the slightest." She turned her head and kissed Paul tenderly, trying to communicate her thanks to him for his love and protection.

Paul rolled his eyes. "Well, you can think what you want, but I'm stinking with what I think." He sobered up and continued their previous conversation, "If you want to go with him or check on him, you can. I can't imagine you wouldn't think of that."

"Well, I did for less than a millisecond, but as important as he is to me, my place is by your side. I am upset that Jake left but I would die without you – it just can't happen." She sighed. "I just wish I could check on him, that's all."

"I know, babe. Anyways, how are you feeling?"

"Better. I feel like I can go. I'll probably call Em in the morning and ask her if I can get back into the swing of things. I'm feeling so cramped in the house right now."

The two sat quietly together for a few minutes. Paul stroked Rachel's arm gently while she rested her eyes and enjoyed the quiet breaths of her imprint.

"Paul, do you think Jake might be right? About the baby I mean? What if it isn't a threat or we could save Bella? I mean human life is human life no matter what."

"Nah, Rach. Because what if it isn't just a baby but a psychopathic killing machine and it murders many when we could have taken care of it when it was easy. It's not easy, but Sam is making the best decision he can, babe. We have to trust our alpha. I do. He's saved me so much grief and crap that I owe him that."

Rachel looked up at Paul, concerned. "But do we trust Sam blindly? Are we thinking for ourselves? I don't ever want to become a mindless follower in all of this. I want to follow my alpha because I know beyond a doubt that he is right." He narrowed his eyes at her questioning their alpha.

"That's not up to us. There's a reason he was made alpha and none of us," Paul answered stiffly. His response was curt and very well snipped the conversation in the bud. So Rachel left the conversation at that.

They sat together for the rest of the evening until Paul finally wrestled himself a way to deal with his undoubtedly angry mother. Rachel got settled into bed but laid in bed staring at the ceiling thinking. Was Jake right about the baby and Bella? Maybe it didn't have to come down to bloodshed and violence. The Cullens had been trusted before by the previous pack and during the newborn war so why not now? These thoughts plagued Rachel even in her dreams that evening.

* * *

After Emily gave Rachel permission to go back to normal life, Rachel was on her way to the council meeting with her father. She was somewhat nervous about all of this. Rachel still wasn't sure if Sam or Jake was right. Both had valid points, yet she still felt uncomfortable in supporting Sam. What if he was wrong? What if the baby wasn't a big deal? All the what ifs were making Rachel's head spin.

They arrived to the council building shortly after. Outside were multiple vehicles including Sam's Bronco, Sue's Camry, and Quil's Jeep in addition to a few other vehicles Rachel didn't recognize. She helped her father get out of her Volvo and into his wheelchair before the two went inside.

They followed a hallway to a room with a series of chairs set up in a circle. The older pack members, Sam, Jared, Paul, Embry, and Quil were there as well as Old Quil Ateara, Sue, and a few of the other council members that Rachel didn't know as well. Rachel squeezed Billy's shoulder before walking over to her pack mates.

"Rachel, glad you could make it." Sam greeted. The pack moved into a small circle for privacy for a moment. She nodded her head before Sam continued, "I'll do the speaking. I want you all to keep quiet, and if you get too worked up, step out but please do so quietly. It's bad enough that we have to explain this to them." He sighed. They all understood how nervous it made the council members when things got more out of control than Sam had anticipated.

The pack simultaneously moved out of their circle and sat down with their alpha in the circle of chairs. The council members turned their attention to Sam, their faces showing a variety of emotion, anxiety, anger, fear.

"We appreciate you all coming and taking time away from your patrols. What you do for our people is a great sacrifice and you have our continued support. We are eternally grateful," Old Quil told them in reassurance. Sam nodded in reverence to the elderly man.

Old Quil nodded at Billy who continued. "It has come to our attention that things have changed with regards to the Cullens on such short notice."

"Yes, things have changed. Yesterday afternoon, we became aware that the couple has returned from their honeymoon. We initially planned to take no action as Miss Swan is aware of the consequences of the choices she is making. Jacob went over to the Cullens house to see Miss Swan and learned she was pregnant by her, uh, husband," Sam stumbled a bit. Most of the council members nodded their understanding and those who did not gave him understanding expressions. Sam continued, "When Jacob returned, he informed the pack of what had happened, and we made plans to attack as soon as possible. Jacob disagreed and was able to take on his alpha blood and form his own separate pack. We did not proceed with the attack as planned and we are as of yet still determining what shall be done about the situation."

"Thank you for informing us. This is disturbing news, but we are glad to be kept in the loop," one of the other council members Rachel did not know said with a dip of his head to Sam. It was interesting to see how all of these men and women who she had looked up to as a child were now looking up to the pack, particularly Sam.

"Did Jacob take anyone with him?" Sue Clearwater asked, breaking the silence. She already knew the answer and it obviously pained her to have to ask it. Rachel was so proud to see the older women hold her head high even in her pain.

"Yes, Mrs. Clearwater. Seth and Leah both joined his pack and are now assisting him in patrolling Cullen territory. I am truly sorry to both you and Mr. Black for your losses."

Rachel grimaced at this. She didn't think of her brother as lost. It wasn't as though he were dead. He was simply protecting the Cullens and the baby.

"Is that everything?" Billy asked.

"Yes. We appreciate your time, and your support behind our efforts." The group then broke up.

"Well, that was short," Embry commented quietly.

"They aren't normally like that?" Rachel asked.

"Nope. Normally, they are like hours long and typically we don't have to go. It's probably cause of Jake and this whole emergency crap," Embry explained quietly. He then looked at his best friend's sister. "You okay?"

"Kind of. It's not easy when your little brother goes gallivanting off to the enemy." She put her arm around Embry and squeezed comfortingly. "You okay, little man?"

"S'pose. It just sucks. I mean he's my best friend, and we always said girls would never come between the three of us. Then he goes running off after a girl he's never gonna get." Embry glared off into the woods and kicked the dirt when he looked down. "It's just stupid. And Sam's worried about me following Jake 'cause I have nothing tying me here except my mom. Quil's at least go Claire here."

Rachel hugged him tighter. "I'm sorry, bud. That stinks. And for the record, you've got me, too."

Embry smiled at Rachel and pulled her into a giant bear hug. He murmured his thanks to her before letting go and walking off to find Claire and subsequently Quil. They were joined at the hip that was for certain.

_Speaking of imprints, where is mine?_ Rachel asked herself.

"I don't know where he went," Sam answered.

Rachel looked at her alpha as though he had two heads. "Did I say that out loud?"

Sam nodded and smiled at Rachel's wide-eyed expression.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes. I just wish I knew what was going through his head." She looked out blankly before adding as an afterthought. "And if he was okay."

Sam nodded and patted her shoulder gently. "I know, Rachel. I wish there were something we could do to bring him back, but I'm not sure what. And I am trying to bring him home. I don't want this to end badly for us or for them. I just have to protect my family and my people. That is what is most important in this life, and I will do whatever is necessary to accomplish this."

Rachel looked up at Sam curiously. Hours before, she had doubted his ability, but now she saw wisdom in what he was saying. "I'm only concerned with what if we are wrong," Rachel commented.

"True, but we can only do what we can do. We are not mind readers. We are werewolves, and it is our duty and obligation to protect our people and human life in general – no matter what it costs us. Sadly, this could cost us Jacob and the others."

Rachel nodded. "Thank you for sharing that with me."

"You're welcome. You're a thinker, Rachel, and I appreciate that a great deal. Just know that I am always here for you, and if you ever have questions or concerns, please talk to me. I need to keep this pack functioning and open communication is key."

"Rach!" Paul hollered from across the field. He and Jared were standing next to her car waiting for her.

"Go ahead. Come over to Emily's later and we'll discuss our plans further then."

The female wolf nodded and walked over to her pack brothers. "You guys want a ride?"

They nodded simultaneously. "Do you guys know where my dad is?"

"With Sue," they answered together.

"What are you twins?"

"Yup." Again in unison.

"Well, get in Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dum."

They both gaped at Rachel, not sure how to respond. "Dad, you got a ride?" she hollered across the parking lot.

He nodded, and Rachel turned back to the gaping duo as she got into the driver's seat. "Get in or the gravy train's leaving without ya."

They both pulled out of their reverie and got into the car, Paul naturally in front and Jared in the middle in the back.

"Where to first, gentlemen?"

"Kim's, chauffer. It's about time you meet her," Jared stated matter of factly, puffing his chest out in pride as he mentioned his imprint.

Rachel and Paul shared an eye roll and a laugh. Jared peeked up front confused and sat back in his seat.

"Off to Kim's we go," Rachel announced as she turned the key over, put the car in gear, and headed off down the roads of La Push.

* * *

Lame chapter, I know, but hey, it's progressing. I just can't wait for Rachel to meet Nessie - that'll be fun. Anywho, please review. I haven't been getting as many reviews, and I've been wondering if its because I totally screwed everything up with reworking the chaps. Enjoy and hugs to all!


	12. Love Isn't Easy

It's about time, I know. I've been delinquent in updating this but I got seriously stuck at the end of the last chapter. Awful right… Anywho, here you are my poor readers!

* * *

Love Isn't Easy

* * *

"You're Paul's imprint?" Kim asked as the two sat down on the couch together in Kim's parents' living room. Meanwhile, the boys were rummaging through the fridge.

"Yeah. And you're Jared's?"

Kim looked down at her twiddling fingers in her lap and nodded shyly. My oh my, Rachel thought. Kim was shier than Rachel first thought. Clearly, the Kim that Jared saw in his mind was much different than the Kim sitting in front of Rachel. The Kim in Jared's mind was very sweet but lots of fun. Maybe that was just Jared's take on her…

"So…" Rachel had no idea what to say to this girl. She already knew everything that Jared did about his girlfriend … which was pretty much everything about her. The ticket was to keep a conversation running so this wouldn't be some kind of weird psycho one-sided thing.

"You're a wolf too?"

"Yeah, I am."

"That's neat."

The two sat in silence for another minute before Rachel came up with a generic question. "What do you wanna do after you graduate?"

"Oh… I dunno. Jared and I haven't talked about it much."

"Jared mentioned once that you love kids. Have you thought about that at all?" Rachel asked, forcing the conversation.

Kim brightened a little at this. "A little bit. I kinda wish the rez had more of a child care system or preschool of some sort. That's what I'd like to do. I do love young children quite a bit." Kim hesitated for a moment before continuing. "I had, uh, thought about being a teacher, but I dunno. I'm not sure I can justify going to school without Jared. And I really can't afford it." She looked up at Rachel shyly before giving a brief, sincere smile as though she'd just shared something really deep about herself. "I've never told Jared that. I don't wanna hurt him. I'm not sure why I told you, though."

Rachel smiled encouragingly, touching Kim's arm kindly. "I understand. We want what's best for our boys. At the same time, we have to remember that what we want will also make them happy. And you can afford to go to school – I did."

"But you were such a good student. Teacher's still talk about how awesome a student you were." She paused again. "And I'm just not. I try but I'm not."

"Just trust me, okay. I know we have only known each other a few minutes – okay maybe that's more on your part – but even so, we are sisters in all of this. We're both imprints and we are a part of something bigger than just ourselves. I hope we can become friends."

"That's true. Thank you, Rachel. I know we can. Jared's been real excited for me to meet you. I'm not very good with this whole friend thing," Kim confided. "I'm pretty shy."

"She's not if you get to know her, though," Jared exclaimed with a half full mouth of food.

Kim's confidence instantly climbed when Jared entered the room. "And you're obnoxious. Don't talk with your mouth full," Kim scolded. Jared looked at her with a pathetic puppy face. "Not gonna work, Cameron!" Jared chuckled and sat down behind her, pulling her to lean on his chest and shoulder.

Rachel smiled at the two. They were certainly adorable together. She and Kim would definitely be pretty good friends if this was the kind of girl she was when she got to know you.

"Yeah, she's kinda mean," Paul added as he sat down in rocker next to Rachel's spot on the couch.

Rachel scowled, Jared glared, and Kim rolled her eyes. "I doubt it. If anything, she sounds like the kinda girl I hang out with."

"Comparing her to Leah? Now that's just cruel," Jared teased.

"Jared!" Kim whacked his arm disapprovingly and smiled at Rachel kindly. "Leah's fine, I'm sure. I just don't know her real well."

"Not a lot of people do," Rachel explained. "She's not been herself since the whole Sam fiasco so I'm not even sure I know her that well anymore."

"Or maybe she's never been herself!" Paul joked with a laugh. Jared joined him. Both of the girls glared at their mates.

"Just leave her be. She's had a hard enough time," Kim scolded seriously. She pulled away from Jared and glared at him.

Rachel, on the other hand, raised in her eyebrows at Paul, clearly upset. "I should get going. I've gotta get home and fix Dad something for supper," she said curtly as she stood. Rachel turned to Kim with a kind smile, "It's been great meeting you, Kim. We should hang out sometime without the boys."

Kim nodded her understanding. "I'd like that a lot." She stood and hugged Rachel tightly. Rachel smiled at this. This girl needed a friend (who wasn't her boyfriend or his pack boys) and Rachel would be that for her. They were "family" now.

Rachel turned her focus back on the boys and added, "And you two can walk home."

The two of them were astonished with the cold reactions from both of the women. Kim followed Rachel's lead in the opposite direction and headed upstairs. Jared bolted after her and Paul followed after Rachel.

"Rach!" he hollered after her. "Wait!"

She got into her car and sighed, knowing she would wait for him even though every fiber in her being desperately wanted to drive away and deal with this later. Paul jogged up to the driver's side and leaned down into the open window. "I'm sorry, honey."

"For what, Paul? All you guys think you can harass the crap out of her and think it not mean anything to her. All of these little jabs hurt her whether she or you guys want to admit it or not. She's a part of the pack – a part of our family. We don't get to choose our family, but we have to love, support, and protect them. And Lee's a part of it – whether she's nice to you guys or not. She's hurting and that's no excuse – she's family." Rachel took a deep breath. "She's my best friend – has been since forever. And I hate all of this teasing with a passion." She took a shaky breath this time. "My brother isn't the only one who left. She did, too, and it hurts. Leah might as well be my sister. So the next time you guys wanna go off about Leah, make sure I'm not around and make sure I don't find out about it. Or better yet, just don't go there, alright?" Rachel's voice nearly broke as she finished.

Paul gazed down at her with a downtrodden expression gracing his face. "I'm sorry," was all he said. "I didn't realize it hurt you so much."

"It's not about me. It's about her. She's just as much a person as any of us. Lee's been unfortunate to have to have gone through so much crap already. She doesn't need any more from anyone else."

Paul continued to look bummed at her.

"I'm going home. I'll see you tomorrow, alright?" she said redundantly.

He nodded and pulled away from the car, gauging her expression and body language slowly. Right now she wanted to be left alone.

"For the record, you aren't a screw up," Rachel called out the window. "It's just that you boys don't understand how girls work, that's all. I love you."

"I know, babe. I love you, too." He gave her a half smile as she smiled sadly back at him. "I'll see ya tomorrow," he tried to say brightly. It didn't work – he was too depressed about letting her down – again, he thought.

* * *

The following morning, Rachel awoke tired and sluggish – not due to her nearly healed injury – but her unresolved feelings towards her imprint. She laid in bed and let her thoughts run away from her. Paul could drive her up the wall one second and make her fall head over heels all over again.

The two of them were such polar opposites – what were the spirits thinking? Paul was hot-tempered, cocky, and just generally a pain to the rest of the world. Rachel reflected on herself. She thought she was pretty reasonable (unless you added PMsing to the equation which didn't happen now anyways), calm, quiet, fun, and generally a happy person. Even so, she loved him to death. Rachel knew she would do anything for him as he would do for her. That was just the way it was.

But how could they make it work? All they ever did was fight – even when they resolved to not fight. Maybe – just maybe – the spirits made a mistake. Perhaps, their imprint on each other was not strong enough to withstand the differences between them. Maybe – just maybe…

As she laid there basking in the warm sunlight streaming through her window through the break in the clouds, Rachel's eyes became heavy. The heavier they got, the more she day dreamed about Paul – her memories and her hopes for the future.

"_Rachel…" a sweet voice called. "Rachel, my sweet…"_

_Rachel looked around confused at the endless meadow – green grass and red and blue and yellow flowers that surrounded her. "Hello?" she called, confused. "Who's there?"_

"_Rachel…"_

_She knew the voice but couldn't place it. It sounded like something out of a distant memory – one she hadn't thought of in what seemed to be forever._

"_Rachel…" the lovely voice called once more._

"_Mom?" With this, a beautiful Quileute woman resembling Rachel appeared in front of her. Her hair was tied back into a loose French braid and she wore a beautiful flowing white dress. It made her appear to be an angel. Her neck was adorned with a simple necklace – two hearts intertwined – just like the one Billy had given Sarah as a wedding gift on the eve of their marriage._

"_My beautiful girl…" Sarah reached out to her daughter and pulled Rachel into a tight hug. Sarah hugged her closely and rocked Rachel back and forth as Rachel cried tears of joy into her mother's shoulder._

"_I miss you so much! Everyday – that's why I didn't come home at all." She looked over at Sarah's face and smiled. "I should have, but it was so hard, Momma. I didn't want to see you everywhere. I didn't want to be able to go see your grave every time I drove by the cemetery." Tears streamed down her cheeks as she spoke, Rachel's voice breaking the more she spoke._

"_It's alright, little dove. I love you – grief does strange things to a person. What matters is that your love for your family does not change. The strongest thing to stand against grief is love and our family is rich in love."_

_Rachel leaned back into Sarah and cried more. Sarah stroked her youngest daughter's hair gently while continuing to rock them side to side like she had done when Rachel was in need of her mother's comfort as a young girl. "Rachel, Paul loves you beyond all measure. You two are so wonderful together. It's so beautiful to see you happy with him. You've already lost so much and dealt with such tragedy, little dove."_

"_But Mom, he's so different from me. And all we ever do it seems like is fight. We can't get along for more than twenty minutes without fighting about something or the other. I want to be happy like you and Daddy were."_

_Sarah chuckled at this and Rachel pulled away indignantly. How could her mother make light of her difficulties with her imprint? As though Sarah knew her thoughts, she responded, "Rachel, I don't want to make light of this. Instead, I want you to understand that there is a reason for this. You and Paul belong together. The spirits do not make mistakes like this. Paul is your other half, your soul mate, just as your father was mine."_

"_But we fight so much?"_

"_And no one ever said love was easy. Imprinting does not make it easier – it just points a wolf in the right direction. After that, it's up to you to make it work. Your desire is for their happiness. This double imprint is making it more difficult because you each desire each other's happiness which seemingly contradicts it altogether. But, Sweetheart, love is not easy with imprinting. If anything, it might be harder. The rest of the world doesn't have to deal with the supernatural threats of this world threatening both their lives and their loves." Sarah took a breath and brushed a strand of hair out of Rachel's face. "You are my daughter – you may be quiet and meek and fun like me, but you have your father's temper deep down. His temper was fueled by his passion which he also passed onto you. That's why he fell so apart after I died. Your passion and love for Paul comes out strongly. The two of you will survive this. You will be stronger for pushing forward and continuing to fight for your love – even if it is against yourselves."_

_Rachel smiled meekly at her mother. "You really think so?"_

"_Have I ever lied to you?"_

"_Only once."_

"_Telling you that you were getting coal from Santa does not count, Rachel Brynn. I love you. You will be fine. Paul will be fine."_

"_What about Jake?"  
_

"_Jake will too. His hard times are nearly up. My son, much like you and your father, is very passionate. Soon, he will get what he desires and finally be where he wants to be and direct that passion to that end. But it will get more difficult between now and then."_

"_Why not now, Mom? He's already struggled so much. I just want him to be happy."_

"_He will, little dove. He just has to find what he needs and he is nearly there. Continue to love on him from afar and be ready for when this all comes to head. He will need his family more than ever to stand by his side when others might turn against him. And fight for Paul's love. He is worth it – your future is work fighting for. I love you, Rachel Brynn Black!"_

"_I love you too, Momma."_

_Sarah hugged Rachel once more before placing a gentle kiss to her forehead. Sarah pulled away from Rachel, and Rachel seemingly floated away from Sarah in a rocking fashion. _

"_Momma…" Rachel cried. "Don't let me go. Please don't leave me."_

"_I will never let you go, little dove. Look in the mirror and in your heart. I live on in you and will in your children. I love you."_

"Rachel… Rachel… Wake up, Sweetheart."

"Daddy?" Rachel blinked her eyes open.

"You were having a nightmare," Billy explained. "I heard you crying out for her." Both knew what her he spoke of.

"It wasn't a nightmare, Dad. It was more like a vision." Billy looked at her quizzically. "She came to me and talked to me about Paul and Jake – almost like she was a spirit now."

"Perhaps she is…" Billy smiled warmly at her. Rachel could see in her eyes that he thought she was full of poppycock but that was alright. He had loved her mother with a deep passion – a passion that now haunted him and left him unable to move on and continue with his life with the same zeal and love as before his beloved Sarah had been torn from his loving arms.

Rachel smiled. "I think I'll just get some breakfast."

"Of course. And Paul's sitting on the back porch steps waiting for you. He seemed somewhat upset, and I don't want my porch destroyed."

"Have a little faith in him, Daddy. That's all he needs."

"I thought you were upset with him?" Billy asked confused as ever by his daughter's bi-polar feelings towards Paul.

"Momma and I talked about it. We fit even though it doesn't look like it. Kinda like you and Momma," Rachel replied, smiling softly at the memory of her dream mother.

"Sure sure," Billy responded skeptically. He nodded at her and wheeled back out of her bedroom.

Rachel rolled her eyes and quickly readied herself for her day. She had a bounce in her step like she hadn't before. Her mother walked with her every day in spirit. She knew that when her mother was alive but had forgotten it in her grief. She had so much to live for, and Sarah would not want to see her children living half-heartedly. She would have loved Paul, too, Rachel thought with a contented sigh. And she and Paul would work out. It would just take time, determination, stubbornness, passion, and a great deal of love. From this moment on, she would devote herself to being the woman he needed. She grabbed a bowl of cereal on her way out to the porch.

"Mind if I sit with you?"

Paul nearly jumped out of his skin at her soft, gentle tone breaking the eerie, uncomfortable silence surrounding him.

"Sure," Paul answered with a shake of his head.

They sat in pregnant silence side by side on the damp wood steps.

"Look, Paul…"

"Rach, I…."

They each offered to allow the other to go first but Paul pushed some more. "Rach, please…"

She nodded, acquiescing his request. "So, this is gonna sound weird. I had a dream last night of my mother. She told me to fight for us among other things. She reminded me that love isn't easy and that I need to fight for you. And I have a confession. I have some times wondered why the spirits put us together."

Paul opened his mouth to protest. In response, Rachel put a finger to his lips to silence them.

"Let me finish. We are polar opposites. You're a hot head and I'm pretty even – unless of course we start playing off each other. You are cocky, I'm quiet and confident. But we are both extremely passionate and loving. You are my best friend, the other half of me – even though we are still getting to know each, I know this is true. Together, we are one, and we are unstoppable. I have thought that I need to change or you need to change to make this work, but that's not what the spirits intended. We are already perfect for each other and we will continue to become even more so the closer we get," she finished quietly.

"I've known that for a long time, Rach. I don't want you to be something you're not just as I don't want to be something I'm not. I love your passion. I love the spark in your eyes when you're angry or when you're passionate about something. I love you just as you are. I will continue to love you as we grow together, become stronger together and evolve, and keep fighting with each other. It's not a bad thing but it will happen naturally. Don't force it," Paul explained quietly. He smiled softly at her.

In this moment, Rachel realized that age has little to do with the wisdom of a person. It can, but not always. And here, Paul was showing her his wisdom. He was the man in her life. He was her leader, her someday husband. She had always fought the stereotype of the little wife but for Paul Lahote, she would be just that. Rachel wanted nothing more in life than to be that for him.

Her eyes shone with welling tears, and Paul smiled gently at her. He brushed his palm across her cheek and she leant into his touch. One tear slipped down her cheek, and Paul brushed it away lightly.

"I love you," she breathed before leaning into his chest. Paul responded in kind, holding her close to his heart.

"Besides, the more we fight, the more we make up, the more we snuggle, the more we get closer to other stuff," Paul joked with waggle of his eyebrows.

Rachel laughed at this before whacking his arm in a pathetic scolding fashion.

"Seriously, though. We shouldn't change who we are. Fighting is good for us. It keeps things interesting, keeps us on our toes." Paul paused before taking a deep breath and moving to a new topic. "I'm sorry that I was insensitive yesterday. I know she means a lot to you," Paul told Rachel as he held her close.

She looked up into his eyes and smiled. "I know. It's just hard because I remember the heartbreak I heard over the phone. I saw my best friend fall apart after having lost everything she loved – her boyfriend and her future. For pity's sake , they were engaged for all intents and purposes."

"I know, babe. I will try really hard to do better. Talk to Sam about it – he hates it too. He doesn't like seeing her hurt, but she has made our lives pretty difficult. She has a serious temper."

"Don't we all though?" Rachel asked with a goofy grin.

"Oooo. Hahaha," he answered sarcastically. "But seriously, she has been pretty dang mean to us, dragging us through her memories and stuff."

"I know, but we need to love her. She's part of the pack family. And I know Em would want us to take care of her. They do still love each other – just distantly anymore."

Paul nodded his consent before squeezing her arm gently. "You are an amazing girl, you know that right?"

"The look in your eyes says it every time you look at me." Rachel leaned back and stared into his face adoringly.

They sat there for several minutes, whispering sweet nothings to each other.

"Time to break up the love fest, you disgusting persons."

"Shut up, Embry," Rachel called over to him. She could feel the rumble in Paul's chest at Embry's interruption. She touched his arm and rubbed with a feather light touch. His growl dissipated but his eyes were still stone cold.

"What do you want?" Paul asked coldly of his pack brother.

"Sam wants us all over at his place. We've got a meeting in a bit. We need to discuss our next move," Embry told them.

"Let me just tell, Dad," Rachel explained to the two of them.

She did so and within minutes, they were heading over to Sam and Emily's.

* * *

There you have it – a new chapter and Kim has been met. I think we've got some real potential for a beautiful friendship between Kim and Rachel. We shall see.

And I hope you enjoyed the dream sequence. It's the closest I could get to putting Sarah in my story without being completely and totally noncanon.

Finally, the Volvo station wagon that Rachel drives is based on my car which has kicked the bucket. It is going away in a few days. I kept the broken shift knob off the shifter. I had a love/hate relationship with that car, but it was mine. My first car has gone away – good night LuMobile.

Anywho, hope you all enjoyed what I've written. Loves!


	13. NOTE FROM AMIE

Hey y'all!

I just wanted to give all of you a head's up that I am going to be deleting this story. I'm not getting a lot of hits or review due to long periods of not updating as well as an attempt at some renovation work on some old chapters in the last year. I just feel like it needs reboot.

I do have a plan so it's not that my story is just going away forever with no end for all of you. I hate being left hanging, and I certainly am not going to do that to any of you! :-)

I am going to go back fix up the chapters like I've been wanting to by taking a look at BD Part 1 and rereading BD to add more to my story as well as extend/better the story. I just reapplied to get a beta to take a look at it from Project Team Beta so that I can get some feedback. If anyone else would like to beta as well, please let me know through 's messaging. :-) After all of these steps have been taken, I will begin reposting the story chapter by chapter as they get edited by me and my betas.

I will be reposting it under the same title, same summary, same everything just updated and modified for better enjoyment. And anyone who has reviewed (as a user of ), subscribed, or favorited will be messaged by me when I get the new story posted so that they will be aware of the story. I don't wanna lose anyone if they want to keep up with this story. :-)

And finally, this copy of _Why Me_ will remain posted until I get the first chapter ready to go back up.

Thanks for everything, my lovely readers, and I look forward to all of you reading the best version of this story!  
Amie


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